


Rainy Day Vignettes

by Shelookstothesky



Category: Harvest Moon DS Cute, Harvest Moon: A Wonderful Life, Harvest Moon: Friends of Mineral Town
Genre: Angst and Drama, Eventual Romance, F/M, Vignette
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-30
Updated: 2020-10-03
Packaged: 2021-03-01 17:29:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 31,729
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23920852
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shelookstothesky/pseuds/Shelookstothesky
Summary: This fanfic is a collection of scenes I wrote with the Jill/Pony and Marlin paring back in 2016 and decided to reread and edit them just for fun. I'm not sure if I'll actually write new scenes in addition to the original ones I wrote back in 2016.  I suppose it will depend on how engrossed I get back into the plot. I hope you enjoy anyway!~- Jess XO
Comments: 4
Kudos: 7





	1. AUTHOR'S NOTE

I'm not even sure if there's a large fanbase to the original Harvest Moon nowadays. However, I still decided to update my old fanfic scenes because I really enjoyed revisiting them and rewriting them into a better format of what they there back in 2016. Which seems like such a long time ago! 

Harvest Moon was always my favorite game as a kid besides Animal Crossing. I used to go home and tell my grandmother about how I had a virtual cow to take care of and named her 'Moo-Moo' (I still love that cow BTW) I was only able to physically play the Gamecube version. But, I got so sucked into the fandom at one point to where I did a lot of research and watched more than my fair share of youtube videos of other versions of the game to get a well enough grasp on the universe these characters live in. I only have interest in Harvest Moon: Another Wonderful Life, Friends of Mineral Town, and Harvest Moon DS: Cute. 

The DS Cute version tends to have better character designs and development for the plot so I tend to reference that game the most. Mainly because it makes Marlin's character is more deep and likable than in the Another Wonderful Life game. I'm not just fond of Marlin and Jill. I actually really love the whole Mineral town gang including Claire. And will sometimes refer to those characters. And real talk: Muffy is my waifu 110% no questions asked!

I don't think there is a set time period for the Harvest Moon universe. For my story's sake, I decided to set a plot somewhere in the 60s. Mainly because of the clothing designs to most of the characters. Rock wears bellbottoms and looks to be dressed in mod fashion. Which can also indicate his 'slacker' behavior his parents are worried about. Gustafa is a straight-up hippie and Marlin has a pompadour which was extremely fashionable back then. Plus, his old-fashion views on women are questionable. Along with just all the other outdated items in both Forget-Me-Not Valley and Mineral Town. Plus, I also just really love getting a taste of another decade. 

When I was rereading the scenes on my google docs I was actually laughing hysterical of how short and careless I wrote everything. And I don't think it was so much because I was terrible at writing. I remember not putting a lot of effort into the work because it wasn't my plot or my characters. Which, is still understandable in my eyes today. Though, I did things differently this time around and decided to put my heart into it. The idea for the vignettes from the start was because of Marlin has an illness that makes him extremely vulnerable to bad weather and other elements. It's the reason why he moved to the countryside. 

My point being is that I wanted to rewrite this fanfic so even if you don't know the fandom you can still enjoy the universe these characters live in. 

I also want to mention the fandom works that fueled my ideas and I still highly enjoy to this day: a fanfic called Seasons by A.H. Nichole and the comic and a comic of Claire and Gray named This Guy? by AngelCou

\--

Also, I kept changing Marlin's age while going back to researching his official age is 33-years-old. So, I'm keeping it that way. I figured Jill is probably 23-years-old because she seems to be around the same age as Rock who's 22-years-old.


	2. Cheers

The door to the Blue Bar opened with the bottoms of heavy tattered work boots meeting the small mat placed in front of the entrance of the establishment. The weather was quite chilly in Forget-Me-Not Valley having a gust of wind follow in with exhausted looking young Farmer. It was early evening and Jill had just finished her chores around the ranch and was now able to finally take a breather. Her hair was wet from just having a fresh shower and pulled up tight in her signature high ponytail. She was also dressed in a clean pair of her plain-looking clothes. T-shirts and jeans were what she seemed to own nowadays. The cows and chickens weren't ones for appreciating fashionable clothing anyway.

The bar was rather cozy. It was usually dimly lit and small inside. Only having one round table against the back walls and the bar counter itself. Other than that there were a few posters displayed on the walls of musical acts that Griffin, the owner, was fond of from back in the city. Needless to say that the appearance of the bar seemed to have matched the rest of the valley. It was low maintenance and always had a welcoming atmosphere. Without skipping a beat Muffy the barmaid was the first one to greet the farmer girl.

"Hi, Hon!" She welcomed Jill in her typical enthusiastic tone.

Muffy was a knock-out of a woman. She was the definition of what a blond bombshell was and always looked like she stepped off the front cover of a magazine. She had a perfect figure a model would die for. You could tell she took the time to set her hair in curlers every night because her beautiful blond locks were always bouncy. Despite all that Jill found the woman's emerald green eyes the most stunning feature about her.

"Hey kid, how goes it on the farm?" Griffin asked, standing behind the bar counter next to Muffy with his elbow comfortably propped against the tabletop.

Griffin was an older man. If Jill had to guess his age he was probably in his late-50s. He was a cowboy and also an incredibly cool guy. No matter what the circumstances were, you could always stop by the bar and talk it out with the old man, even if you didn't want anything to drink. He was very rugged looking with an open collar fully showing his chest hair. A bushy mustache and a ponytail to top everything off. In other words, he might as well be sitting in the middle of a desert somewhere with a horse and Indian eating out of a can of beans with a spoon. 

"It goes," Jill shrugged and plopped down on one of the red stools as she slipped off her grain leather gloves and tucked them into her back pocket.

She rested her arms over the top of the bar counter and laid her chin on her hands as her eye-lids gradually drooped on their own. Muffy frowned at the sight of her and turned slightly to Griffin as she spoke.

"Only a few seconds in here and you're already loosening up? Poor dear," Her ruby lips formed a pout.

The old cowboy's eyes squinted when he smiled. Griffin had a permanently tired look on his face. It was both from a fulfilling life and a lifetime of heavy drinking. Regardless, his expression strangely always held a gentleness to it; which was part of his charm.

"Did you come to chat or did you come to drink?" He asked the farmer girl pleasantly.

Jill squished her cheek against her forearm, continuing to slouch in the stool as she thought.

"Mh--"

"Sure, I'll just take a beer," She answered faintly.

He nodded in response.

"Sounds good. I think you deserve one after all that hard work you do," He turned around to fetch her a bottle that was displayed on the shelf behind him.

She laid her head to the side and closed her eyes. "Thanks, Griffin."

Muffy stood directly in front of Jill behind the bar, gripping the edge of the counter with her neatly painted nails.

"You must be forfeiting your beauty sleep just to see your boyfriend, huh?" She teased with a gleaming smile.

Her accusation is the only thing that perked the tomboy up as she slowly lifted her head from the counter and straightened her posture and looked at the woman dumbfounded.

"Boyfriend?" She raised a brow.

"You mean Marlin? I wouldn't really consider that grouch my boyfriend," She reached an open hand out to Griffin after he popped the top of her beer off and passed it over.

"No? Maybe not yet! He's not my type time per se. But, I think you two would make a cute couple," Muffy placed one hand on her hip and the other against her chest to reference herself.

Jill shrugged while she began kicking her feet under the counter, taking a sip of her beer and glanced over at Griffin casually as he listened on.

"How can you act so coy? He didn't mind carrying you home last week when you happen to fall asleep here," Muffy added in a teasing manner.

The reminder caused the brunette to choke on her beer while she was swallowing and quickly pulled the tip of the bottle away from her mouth and bowed her head to cough up whatever drink escaped her lips. She snapped her head back up to defend herself.

" That he was the one who made me fall asleep, to begin with! May I add!" Jill didn't have the willpower to disguise her embarrassed grin.

The barmaid began to laugh hysterically by the tomboy's resistance to admit her true feelings.

Griffin had his back turned to the ladies but was still listening and calmly grabbed a cloth rag from under the counter when he caught a glimpse of Jill wiping her wet mouth with the back of her hand. He turned to face her again to pass it to her. She took it gently and began to wipe her chin and the rest of the parts of herself that the liquor happened dribbled on.

"I've gotten to know Marlin since he moved here a few years back. I gotta admit the kid is a little rough around the edges but is a nice guy in my book," The bartender spoke honestly while folding his arms across his chest.

Jill's face turned bright red as she set her beer down on the counter and slid the now damp rag back to Griffin.

"No! Don't get me wrong! I'm not denying that Marlin is a nice guy! It's just--"

"It's just what! Spill it!" Muffy arched her back to peer over the counter, flashing a menacing grin and a good view of cleavage in the process.

Griffin must have been alarmed by the shrill in her voice as well making him butt-in calmly.

"Ease up on the girl now, Muffy," He said in jest.

"Listen! I'm friends with Marlin and I have nothing against him. I visit Vesta's farm every day, practically. But, it's clear to me that he can't keep his eyes off Celia," Jill pressed her hands into her lap and started swaying the stool back and forth slowly.

"Celia! But she's so plain looking!" The barmaid erupted in disbelief and then took a long pause to study the untidy appearance of the farmer in front of her.

"Well--" She glanced away from Jill and covered her cheeky grin with her hand.

She squinted at the blond bombshell, trying to process what she meant and quickly figured it out.

"Hey! What's that supposed to me!" Jill shouted out a bit outraged.

"What I mean is; you'd look much prettier with your hair down," She suggested and gestured towards her ponytail.

Jill was still cautious as she swiveled in her stool to turn towards Griffin for guidance. The old cowboy just gave a relaxed shrug as he rested his back into the shelf behind him. Which made Jill pan her eyes away from him and glanced back at Muffy before hesitating and decided to follow the advice and reached up to let her damp hair fall down past her shoulders.

"See! Now all you need is a little bit of blush and maybe some pink lipstick!" Muffy reached back over the counter to get a closer look at the tomboy's face.

Her intrusive behavior made Jill feel uneasy, leaning back and away from the gorgeous blond woman.

"Let's not get carried away, Muffy," She put her hands up in defense.

"Hello there wonderful people!~" A loud boisterous voice shouted.

Without warning the door swung open as another customer came barging in. It was none other than Rock, the spoiled son to the owners of the Inner In. Jill could admit besides being quite loud and self-absorbed he wasn't that terrible of a person. His energy was just something that could only be handled in small doses. He was also definitely part of the new wave of youth that was all the rave over in the city. The way he dressed was much flashier than his traditional parents and he also seemed to bleach his hair a lighter color which was unheard of around these parts.

"Good evening Rock, are you adding to your tab tonight?" Griffin uncrossed his arms and changed position away from the ladies.

"I might as well while I'm here!" He said joyously, taking a seat next to Jill and patted the counter as he turned to the side to face her.

Jill was already the least impressed with him and he hadn't even spoken to her yet. Her body language completely changed when the pompous brat walked into the bar as she began to slouched on the stool again and cupped her beer bottle in her hands.

"Hey, babe! I almost didn't recognize you with your hair down," He teased as he thanked Griffin for his glass of barley and took a sip of it.

Jill's eyes dulled at his flirtation and made discreet eye-contact with Muffy who was now making herself busy by restocking a few miniature-sized bottles of liquor onto the very bottom of the display shelf.

"That was the point," The tomboy said curtly, finding herself swaying slowly on her stool again.

The sarcasm didn't discourage this smooth operator as he eyed at the rest of Jill's appearance.

"Don't worry babe! I'd always recognize you. Even if I were completely hammered," Rock sounded self-assured, taking another sip of his drink.

The brunette stayed quiet a moment, staring at the well-groomed fool with her half-lidded eyes. She wasn't even sure if coming up with a comeback was even worth the effort and tightened the grip on the bottle.

"In that case. Drink up!" Jill rose her beer up in the air to toast the spoiled brat and slugged some down.

"Eh? Is that an offer? Because we all know I can drink you under the table!" Rock became giddy at her sudden zest and downed his barley in no time flat.

"Hit me up with a few more Griffin!" He dropped the empty glass on the bar counter and signaled to keep them coming.

With that command, the bartender did as he was told and set two other glasses of liquor in front of him. His weary eyes glanced over at Jill in curiosity. This caught the attention of Muffy who was nosy enough to ask what the true motives were as she crouched back over towards the farmer girl and pressed her hand close to her mouth and leaned in close to her ear.

"What are you planning?" She whispered.

"Nothing, I just figured if I'm tipsy enough Rock would be bearable," She admitted, taking another long sip of her beer.

With that being said Muffy stepped her way closer to the pompous young man and stood in front of him.

"I hope you don't get too comfortable Rock. You know that spot is already taken," She said sweetly and pointed to him with her red-colored nails.

Jill's cheeks tinted pink as she looked at the barmaid in utter shock. She placed her index finger to her lips trying desperately to stop Muffy from continuing and hoped for the best that Rock didn't catch on.

"Huh?" This peaked his interest as he pulled the glass away from his lips and gawked back over at the tomboy who was clearly avoiding eye-contact with him.

"I get it now! You want to get drunk to have another chance with Marlin carrying you home again. Isn't it! My oh my Jill!~ You sneaking girl you!~" Rock's face grew a wide grin and gave a hearty chuckle at the thought.

"I don't blame her, though! It was so romantic!" The blond bombshell gushed, starting to reminisce from that night.

"I know right? I'm just disappointed that I wasn't able to see it!" He finally finished his second glass of barley and set it aside with his other empty ones.

Muffy sighed in despair, closing her eyes and pouted.

"I wish I had a good man in my life that'd treat me like that!"

She cupped her face with her hands and began swaying at the thought. Griffin didn't say a word as he raised a brow towards Muffy. He shook his head in disappointment. Even at this age he still didn't understand women.

"So, you and Marlin, huh?" Rock was playing dumb just to tease as he was not too surprised. He was smart enough to observe the couple from the nightly visits at Blue Bar.

Jill was still trying to play cool, never wanting to give Rock the satisfaction of letting him know that she was actually very embarrassed.

"No, he is not my boyfriend," She corrected him in a bit of a sharp tone.

Rock was still unfazed as he took his time to finish his third glass of liquor, only keeping a hold of it to swirl it occasionally.

"I wouldn't think so," He agreed with her.

"Unless Vesta was pushing him on you or something. He's madly in love with Celia, don't you know?" He added on and finally set his glass back down.

As he said that Jill twirled her stool back in the center to shoot Muffy an unenthusiastic expression and stretched her arm out to gesture towards the loud-mouth next to her.

"What!" She sounded almost offended by the farmer.

"Didn't I tell you the same thing earlier!" Jill dropped her arm back to her side in irritation as she finished the last of her beer and set the empty bottle aside.

Muffy scrunched her face in disgust and swiped the bottle up quickly and tossed it in the bin.

"I don't know what Marlin does at that farm. All I know for sure is that the way he looks at you in here is what dreams are made of!" Her tone was matter-a-fact.

"Yeah, maybe in your dreams," Jill said snidely.

"But, I could assure you that the look you're talking about is also shared with Celia when he gets home," She added.

The clanging of the three empty glasses that were being collected off the countertop was heard faintly as Griffin carried them together at once.

"Only time will tell," He finally threw in his two cents.

\--

About 20 minutes or so have passed since Jill entered the Blue Bar. It was still the same line-up of Griffin, Muffy, and the spoiled brat Rock. Eventually, the conversation went onto other topics. Nothing special was said, just ordinary small talk such as the preparations for the fall festival which seemed that only the farmer was participating as the gorgeous blond wasn't really the domestic type. She had no interest in baking sweets for the children of the valley and was unsure of contributing to the annual stew that all the residents made together in honor of the witch princess for good wishes such as marriage. Which, most of the girls around these parts hoped for. Even though Jill hated to admit it; that included herself. She was also one of those girls.

Thankfully the conversation shifted onto the more exciting life of the city. And it was neither Griffin or Jill that initiated the subject. The old cowboy was one to listen more than talking and as for Jill, well. She had moved away from the city just to work on the farm. Of course, there were times where she missed the many conveniences that urban life had. It's just that the tomboy barely had any time to think of herself as the taxing responsibilities of the ranch consumed most of her day. Nevermind desiring to visit an old place that was no longer home.

It was Rock and Muffy who consumed most of the dialogue now. Both of them visited not only Mineral Town often but the city itself. Which was quite the trek from the valley. The son of the Inner In was a difficult guy to admire in Jill's eyes since he had no ambitions. And even though Muffy held a lot of charming characteristics she was also a lost soul herself with Griffin being the only person to keep her grounded. And that was enough to remind the farmer that maybe she was better off breaking her back with all the hard labor of the ranch than being stuck in the big city like a guppy trapped in a goldfish bowl.

She had only finished the one beer, secretly waiting to see if Marlin would end up showing up tonight or not. In the meantime, she had to endure Rock's incredibly annoying behavior. He was now drunk thanks to all the refills he gulped down. It got to the point where Jill didn't even care if the doofus was in close proximity to her now. Whatever would be said would just fly right over his head and wasn't worth the headache trying to justify with him.

"Hey baaaaabe!~" The pompous young man had the gall to touch the ends of her long hair with the goofiest of grins.

"In all seriousness-ness-ness!" His slurring got so bad that his speech was muddled.

I'd never marry ya! But, damn would I show you a good time!" He got louder with each word he spoke.

Rock reached over and wrapped his arm around her shoulder making Jill flinch. Griffin did his duty and kept guard of the situation as it unfolded in front of him. Not seeing much of a ruckus yet he continued to preoccupy himself by wiping the inside of unused drinking glasses. He had witnessed far worse in his line of work over the years to be worried about a little banter from the two youngins in front of him.

Jill flustered her brows as she tried nudging the spoiled brat off her. It looked like she shrunk in her seat a bit trying her best to keep patient for Marlin. With luck, like if the Harvest Goddess was overhearing her thoughts. The door finally opened with the miserable looking bastard trudging his way into the small space of the bar with hands tucked into his jeans pockets. Marlin was nothing to look at really. He was a tall fellow with a trim figure and broad looking shoulders and thick muscular arms from all the work he did in the field's on his Vesta, his sister's farm.

Griffin and Muffy gave their regular welcome to the worn-out looking farmer. Marlin greeted them back in a grumble that was barely heard as he crudely stopped behind the two kids on the stools and calmly stretched an arm between the drunken fool and Jill.

"Rock," His tone was dry but stern.

"Get out of my seat and scram," He ordered dully.

The brunette was caught off guard as her eyes widened at Marlin's sudden entrance, turning her body to the side slightly when Rock released his hold on her. He actually had enough brains to listen to the glum farmer for once. Rock wasn't just a youngin to Griffin; he also viewed in the same way with Marlin. He normally had no desire to ever acknowledge the wannabe but seeing that he was already cramping his style Marlin took the initiative to start a confrontation.

"Oh boy! The boyfriend is here everybody!" The smug younger man started crackling to himself as he turned completely around in the stool to stare directly at Marlin.

There was an awkward pause from the gathering as silence sunk in as they became fixated on the interaction between the two. Muffy subconsciously stood closer to Jill's side of the counter, keeping her position behind the bar. You could tell by her gleaming eyes that she was fully enjoying the spectacle going on in front of her. Possibly indulging in her own inner fantasies of having a pair of men arguing over her. Griffin kept his tolerant perspective and continued his watch-dog position. He knew Marlin well enough to know that he would keep things civil. The tomboy glanced around at the others, feeling like it was her duty Jill finally broke the tension and spoke up.

"Rock, you're drunk. Go home," She said abruptly.

He was obviously still feeling the buzz as the obnoxiously silly smile never left his face. Marlin kept his stance with arms straight against his side and hands balled up in aggravation waiting for the pompous kid to move.

"I don't got all day," He added in annoyance.

The liquor bogged down Rock's mind as it took him a moment to process everything at once. From previous experience, the spoiled brat wasn't a belligerent drunk just an extremely dumb one. His grin faded once he finally grasped the concept of what was going on and hopped off the stool.

"Well! Since everybody wants me out! Guess I gotta go!~" He started cackling again and found himself brushing against Jill trying to get too familiar; this time leaning his face close to against the top of her head.

"See you later babe," The loud volume of his voice dropped drastically with his eyes almost looking mischievous.

This rubbed Marlin the wrong way despite the fool being drunk or now. He didn't like the spiteful behavior, giving him an open invitation to nudge the younger man harshly with his shoulder to separate him away from the tomboy. Due to poor motor skills, Rock ended up losing balance fairly quickly and tripping over his own feet as he stumbled further away from the counter. It only made the doofus giddy with laughter again as he gradually steadied his feet and began walking to the door. The gruff farmer stiffed his limbs as he watched Rock leave with a sharp gaze from the corner of his eyes.

"Go on! Get!"

Marlin shouted as he watched Griffin calmly step out from behind the bar and make his way over to the intoxicated young man to lead him a hand outside. Muffy continued to watch in astonishment, still living the full fantasy of the whole situation.

"Jill! You're such a lucky gal!~" She romanticized.

"Uh, I am?" The brunette looked at the barmaid in utter confusion.

Marlin shook his head slowly in an irritated manner and finally sat down on the stool next to Jill. By this time Griffin had re-entered behind the bar and automatically poured whiskey into a glass for the miserable bastard in front of him and placed it down on the countertop.

Marlin nodded as a subtle thank you and grasped onto the glass.

"What's up, man?" He asked quietly.

"Nothing too unusual here," Griffin talked as if nothing just happened.

"I do believe your lady friend has been sitting here waiting for you though," The old man made a quick gesture towards Jill who blushed a light shade of pink.

The comment made Marlin turn more towards the younger woman next to him.

"Hello lady friend," His wit was dry which seemed to match the rest of his personality.

His lips formed a small smile when he looked over at her finally and lifted his glass up to the tomboy, taking a sip of his drink.

"Hello grouch," She smiled back and motioned her empty hand as if she were holding a glass to mimic him; seeing that she no longer had the beer in front of her anymore.

Her quick humor made him hide a grin behind his glass before setting back down.

"Are you done for the night?" He asked.

Jill nodded to him and then hesitated as he just reminded her of the time having her quickly lift her arm up and look down at her wrist at the time on her watch. She frowned seeing that it was getting pretty late.

"Yeah, I should head back soon. If I don't I'll regret it tomorrow and the animals will give me a hard time for sleeping through my alarm clock," She gave a laugh and stretched her arms above her head as an attempt to soothe her achy shoulders.

"That sounds like a good idea," He agreed with her with gentle eyes.

"Can I buy you a drink before you head back? I'll walk you home too," He offered, taking light sips of his whiskey.

Jill didn't exactly know what she was expecting from Marlin. It wasn't the first time he had bought her a drink and she'd never fathom him wanting to walk her home. Though, she shouldn't be that surprised since the newest gossip around the valley was him carrying her all the way home. And because of that maybe it was the reasoning behind his sudden come-ons to her. And like an idiot, the farmer girl was falling for it. She even caught herself absentmindedly twirling a finger around her hair and snapped her arm down once she realized and winced from hitting too hard on the counter.

"I'd like that, thank you."

She took the offer, catching eyes with Muffy who was grinning from ear to ear at the couple mingling at the counter and perked back up when Marlin pointed towards the rows of bottles of liquor displayed on the large shelf mounted on the wall.

"You heard the girl, give her what she wants," He said as Griffin refilled his drink.

"The same thing or something different, hon?" Muffy chimed in pleasantly.

"Another beer is fine, please," She tried to make a quick and easy decision.

"Sure!"

The gorgeous blond took the open bottle of beer from Griffin before trotting her way back to Jill and bent over as she slid the drink over to her. In a very hushed tone, she whispered in her ear again.

"He likes you!~" She squealed softly.

The barmaid's teasing drew anxiety out of the tomboy as she quietly tried shooing her away which only made Muffy giggle in the process.

\--

Time was lost as the night went on and the bottles started to collect at the edge of the counter. The small talk that was had with Marlin Jill found to be more enjoyable since he spoke about things that were also important to her. The self-proclaimed shit-kicker was not one for animals but he specialized in crops growing and could explain what kind of care each seed needed. Name a plant and the grouch would most likely know the whole history of it. That's what started their friendship to begin with. The tomboy spent a lot of her well-earned money at Vesta's farm buying all types of supplies from Marlin; sometimes spending even longer amounts of time than she should as she would start picking the fellow farmer's brain about certain kinds of vegetables. 

Besides having that in common both of them came from the city to live in the valley. While Jill moved all the way out here to honor the memory of her father and tried her best on keeping the ranch successful. Marlin moved here for a very different reason. He became ill and thought it was the best decision to live in the countryside away from the pollution of the city that aggravated his disease. He never went into great detail about what exactly he had and Jill never found the need to ask. That was probably another reason why the dreary older man grew fond of her.

While the chatting continued Dr.Hardy made his weekly drop in before he headed home for the night. He was the physician in Forget-Me-Not Valley. He was a far cry from the handsome young doctor in Mineral Town. Dr.Hardy looked frightening from first glance because of the large scar that took up more than half his face and the fake metal eye he had. It was unknown why he had that freakish fake eye and the only response you'd get from him was that everybody had their secrets. Which was good enough for Jill.

Other than the occasional stragglers the regular worth noting was good ole Gustafa. The valley's hippie and he was by far the most upbeat and down to earth resident compared to the rest of the neighbors. He only stopped by for a short while to hear Griffin play his guitar as the cowboy did every night before closing. And without even realizing it the two farmers were the last ones to stay.

Marlin looked up at the clock hanging up above the door seeing that the bar was winding down now he glanced beside him and over at Jill who was slumped against his shoulder and head resting on his forearm. She had drifted off into a light sleep thanks to buzz she got from the alcohol. It increased the fatigue she already felt from working on the farm all day. Not wanting to startle her; Marin decided to nudge her gently to wake her.

"Are you ready to go now?" He asked softly, watching her slowly sit back up and rub her sleepy eyes.

"Y-yeah."

She kept a hand resting against her face as she attempted to focus on her surroundings and slowly dropped her arm down back to her side and blinked a few times before looking around at Griffin and Muffy who were cleaning up for the night and then squinted up at Marlin with the most puzzled expression.

Marlin thought her tipsy state was somewhat cute. Even though he'd never vocalize it. It did, however, lure a snide remark out of him.

"God, you look out if it," He gave a faint chuckle and stood up first as he helped her off the stool carefully.

When Jill got up on her feet Muffy finally acknowledged the couple again and spun around from the sink she was washing from and quickly pitter-pattered her way to the end of the counter with her kitten heels as they made their way closer towards the door to leave.

"Bye guys! Have a safe trip home!" She waved over to the pair, hoping that they'd notice her before leaving.

"Thanks," Marlin responded simply as he opened the door for the tomboy and cautiously started guiding her out and gripped onto her shoulder gently to keep her steady on her feet.

Muffy's farewell sparked excitement within Jill as she swiftly spun herself around on the threshold and waved back at her frantically.

"Bye Muffy! I love yooou!~" The brunette yelled at the top of her lungs and blew the blond bombshell a kiss. It was made clear that the alcohol was talking now.

Muffy's face lit up from the flattery as she giggled. "I love you too, Jill!"

While all this was being said and done Marlin was trying his hardest to coax the blitzed woman past the welcome mat. He was struggling quite a bit as he looked over his shoulder and caught a glimpse of Griffin who had now opened up the door that led into the small studio apartment he and Muffy lived in.

"Hey Griffin," He announced.

The mention of his name made the old man turn as he held his guitar in hand. His exhausted face looked over Marlin curiously.

"Good night," Marlin gave his friend some sort of a crooked smile as he got Jill outside the bar at last before disappearing behind the closing door.

Griffin stood there a moment soaking in the ambiance that the couple had left lingering in the bar. Muffy was now standing out in the tiny dining area, clearing off the table that was being used from a previous customer.

"Isn't swell when you're in love?" She sighed in content, carrying a handful of dirty dishes against her chest back to the sink.

He took a good look at the barmaid strolling past with his weary eyes following her as his stare softened at the sight of her.

"Ain't it?"

\--

The couple stayed quiet on the walk home towards the ranch with the inebriated brunette keeping her arm interlocked with his. Marlin had to speed up his footwork to keep up with Jill. She had much more a peppier walk and a lot more energy than his busted up body. It was the small thing like this that only reminded the old bastard of the age gap between the two of them. He was peeking his mid-30s while the lively tomboy was still a spring chicken compared to him.

"Hey," Escaped her lips softly, glossy eyes peering over at his gaunt face.

Marlin raised a brow and looked over at her direction. "Yeah?"

"Was I heavy when you carried me home that night?" She asked meekly.

What an odd question to ask; and out of the blue as well. Marlin honestly didn't know how to respond as he fell silent and thought it over.

"Erm, no. I didn't mind carrying you home. It's like what I told you the day after when you asked the next morning. You were out like a light and I couldn't just let you lay there..." He trailed off.

"And I don't mind walking you home either," He added shortly after.

Marlin was frustrating himself by how difficult he found it to explain. And he wasn't even sure why. Thankfully Jill didn't seem to notice or maybe she didn't care. Whichever the reasoning was he appreciated that about her. He thought that the young farmer was absolute dynamite. Not every girl could just drop her cushy lifestyle in the city to start doing grueling manual labor that even a grown man like him had trouble doing.

"Do you enjoy it?" She continued her thought in a hushed tone as her head found his broad shoulder to rest on.

He had to think for a moment about what she meant and answered suddenly.

"Bringing you home?"

"Mh," She weakly nodded in response, eyes now closed.

"There are wild dogs and a lot of strange city people at night," He tried avoiding the question.

This didn't sway well with Jill as even she was too shy to outwardly say what she really meant. Out of nervousness she bit her lip and tilted her head questionably at him.

"Did it bother you when Rock called you my boyfriend?"

Marlin had to think back to the encounter and tried to recall what she was referring to as he pursed his lips before speaking.

"Oh yeah, he did say that. Didn't he?" He pondered.

"I never take what that kid says seriously anyways. Drunk or not," He continued in more of a bitter tone now.

There was only a short distance left and the majority of their stroll was now being engulfed by the echoing of their footsteps against the dirt path. There was a scatter of multicolored leaves that had fallen from the trees above. Their texture was soggy from the rain earlier that day. The sound of water splashing was heard when their feet walked through a puddle. It didn't bother either of them much.

"What did you think of him saying it?" Jill kept a grip on his arm and slowly opened her eyes up to look at him with a frown.

Marlin blinked in surprise at her willingness to pursue the conversation. His mouth stretched into a long frown as he blushed faintly at the thought of having a younger woman as his girl. His eyes naturally darted away from hers.

"I--uh, think it's a discussion for when we're somber," He practically grumbled.

His answers weren't satisfying to Jill as the old farmer was good for being vague when he spoke. Instead of trying to pry it out of him she just accepted it for what it was. Marlin was a grouch but he was far from a brute. She believed that he was only trying to spare her feelings from being hurt. Celia was waiting for him at home, after all.

"Okay," she mused, resting her head back onto his shoulder and continued onward.

Loud barking was heard even before the two made their way past the trail that led into the entrance of the farm pasture. The high pitched yapping intensified when the couple got closer to the barn. Rover, the overly excited dog came sprinting towards them at full force with a red bandanna tied around his neck cutely. He was a former stray that Jill more than willingly adopted. It was unsure exactly what kind of breed the pooch happened to be. His light brown fur, floppy ears, and white muzzle and along with a few other spots suggested that he was probably a beagle mix. As for Marlin, he could care less about what breed it was. He didn't care for animals, especially loud ones like this mongrel.

"Relax mutt, it's just us!" He shouted at the dog as it followed behind them and sniffed at the old bastard's heels and calmed down once he recognized him.

Marlin carefully unlinked his arm from her once they got to the front door to her rickety old log cabin. It looks like it hasn't been updated in at least a decade. Jill's footing was still a bit off-kilter as she felt around the siding of her home and held onto it to help steady herself.

"Thank you," She said pleasantly and clumsily fished around her pants pocket for her house key only to drop it on the ground by her feet.

Before she could bend over Marlin quickly plucked the key from the ground and handed it off to her. All he needs is for her to fall from the dizziness she must have felt.

"Anytime," He replied, sticking his hands into the pockets of his jeans and observed her stupefied demeanor.

"Jill, are you gonna be alright?" He asked in general concern as he watched her take a moment to slide the key into the doorknob.

"Yeah, nothing that sleeping off won't fix," She sounded normal enough when she talked and turned the key to unlock the door and pushed it open.

She slowly turned to get a good look at him, keeping a hand gripped onto the doorknob.

"I'd invite you in. But, you know it's rather late and--" She hesitated and glanced away in embarrassment.

Marlin swiftly pulled his hands out of his jeans and held them up in defense. The last thing he wanted was the people of the valley, most importantly, his sister. To think he was shacking up with the vulnerable bachelorette that owned the farm.

"I wasn't expecting you too. Just rest up for tomorrow, alright?" He managed to disguise his tension by cracking a smile.

Without warning his body stiffen up completely as the young woman flung herself at him and embraced his gangly body in a tight hug. She definitely must have been drunk. He didn't know how to react to this. It bothered him that he wasn't completely opposed to this closeness with the girl. Gosh, she was warm. And she smelled really nice too. It's been an eternity since the old bastard was this physically close with the opposite sex. He didn't dare get close to Celia in this way. It'd be far too awkward and it was not his place to cross boundaries with her in that way. He wasn't even entirely sure if it was a bright idea to do the same with Jill. This situation was insufferable and it was inevitable to escape. Marlin relaxed his muscles and wrapped his arms around her trim frame. His face was buried in a handful of her long hair when he leaned in close enough. He had enough sense to break the embrace before anything came from it. He slowly stood back in front of her, gingerly keeping a grasp of her arms to make sure she was stable to stand.

"Thank you for walking me home," Her eyes squinted in content as she spoke.

Maybe it was because her hair was down and framing her face but, he found her features to be more striking than normal. Or it was more of the case that he was just as tipsy as she was and it was liquor playing tricks on him.

"Don't mention it," He tried playing it cool and released his grip from her arms; starting to turn to leave.

"Good night Jill," He began heading back to the entrance to return home to Vesta's farm.

Rover sprung up from where he was lounging nearby and was hot on Marlin's trail when he noticed him finally leaving. He had no need to bark this time as heavy panting was the only thing that was heard from the pup. Jill watched her crush leave with a bit of disappointment and waved goodbye to his figure that was becoming harder to see.

"See you tomorrow!" She called out to him.

He turned around and slowly started walking backwards to wave back to her.

"Okay!" He shouted back with an upbeat tone.

She smiled, still standing in the doorway of her home, and stuck her thumb and index finger into her mouth to give a loud whistle for Rover to come. Which the obedient dog did; quickly ditching Marlin right before he left the property and went back running to his master with heavy panting.


	3. Reminiscing

It was quite dreary outside with the sky being a dark gray in color and the rain just pouring down. A crack of lightning lit up the darkened sky momentarily as thunder roared in unison with it. The environment inside the cozy little rickety farmhouse could have not been any more opposite than the goings-on outside. Very faint tapping of raindrops against the glass of the windows permeated the small surround of the living room space where two bodies were found sprawled out on a yellow checkered picnic blanket of the rustic wooden floor in front of the television with bunny ears. It happened to be the grouchy old farmer and Jill. Both laid flat on their backs with an open bottle of wine set between the two as a quarter of it was already empty. The only other company besides themselves was Rover the beagle comfortably curled up on the couch against the wall. A covered bowl of leftover potato salad that Marlin had brought over was untouched and set on the coffee table.

Neither of them had spoken for a few minutes now. Just simply enjoying each other's company was enough. They had fallen silent after some inane chit-chat about how the weather has been dry lately and how thankful Jill was that she didn’t have to spend a long amount of time watering the fields tomorrow. Marlin just gave a low grunt in response to whenever words escaped him. The tomboy was actually very surprised that the aloof farmer even took up the offer of the request of hanging out. She supposed it was ever since she had walked into one of Marlin’s breakdowns when visiting Vesta’s farm. They had formed so kind of trust from that encounter one can say.

The grouch was more than what the naked eye could see. He wasn’t just the strange quiet guy that worked on his older sister’s farm. He had a heart and ambition and a soul. To top that off he is also incredibly fragile. And Jill wasn’t referring to his weary body that was vulnerable to the harsh weather. No, it was how he felt about the people around him treating him like he was helpless because of illness. Jill was taken back when she witnessed Marlin run out of his home that night. It was quickly made evident that he was fed up with the coddling from both Vesta and Celia. He just wanted to be treated normally and not to be reminded that he was sick.

She could understand his way of thinking in that regard. Jill came to Forget-Not-Valley by her own choice; Marlin didn’t. Living in the countryside was the only alternative he had for a better chance of recovery. There has been more than one occasion where Marlin had expressed that he felt like a fish out of water living such a rural lifestyle. He seemed to have become accustomed to it now considering that the shit-kicker had been living in the valley long before Jill. The sad reality of the situation was that Marlin’s condition wasn’t getting better; he still got winded very easily from hard labor and took quite a while to regain his strength fully.

“I did public work back in the city,” He said out of the blue with arms resting above his head and hands comfortable under him.

His voice sounded tired and droll perusal. Though, this time around his tone didn’t hold that typical gruffness to it. He shifted his eyes to the tomboy laying next to him and watched her absent-mindedly stretch her legs straight up and prop her bare feet against the wall. When she felt his stare on her she looked away from the ceiling and at him. Jill never really took notice until now but Marlin’s eyes were a beautiful shade of blue. It was a strange sensation to feel as she was coming to the conclusion that she found the old grouch attractive. Marlin was far from an 8x10 glossy. He wasn’t much to look at, to be frank. His features were sharp and his face long and gaunt from being so thin; his constant fatigue made him have a lack of appetite. He still sported a pompadour despite no longer living in the city. It worked in his favor though, seeing that the Brylcreem tamed the unruly black curls back.

“Yeah? And did you like it?” Jill asked, dropping her feet back down to the floor with a small thud and slowly began repositioning to lay on her side to face him better.

She dug her elbow into the picnic blanket to keep her arm leveled in order to rest her chin in her palm. Her long brunette hair laid past her shoulders and wild bangs framed her face. Her face was quite cutesy and youthful-looking. Compared to Marlin she was at least a head shorter than him; she was average height for a lady her age and her slim figure made her appear a bit smaller than she was. She had dropped a few pounds since dedicating her life to the demanding hard work of farm life.

“Eh, it was alright. It wasn’t something I dreamed of doing. I mainly worked on roadsides and sometimes building,” He rested his head back towards the ceiling and closed his eyes a moment.

“I made good money doing it. That’s all that counts, right?” He added with a groan as he took her lead and also repositioned himself onto his side to get a better view of her with a calm gaze.

She could practically melt by the endearing way Marlin was looking over at her. It was hard to describe but it made her feel warm inside.

“You know, now that you mention it,” Jill smiled as she talked and tilted her head a bit as her eyes never left his.

“If you never told me. I would have never guessed you were once a city boy,” Her smile grew broader once his expression turned inquisitive.

“You really think so?” His thick brows flustered together and forehead creased as he thought.

“Well, it’s been about five years now. I guess I see how’d you think I’d fit in,” He agreed, even though he didn’t think so.

“Yeah! You even have that country accent now and everything now!” She sprung up in a sitting position to reach over to her wine glass that was placed on the coffee table and picked it up.

“If you didn’t know me. Would you think I came from the countryside?” She asked, taking a few small sips of wine.

Marlin hesitated and thought about it for a second before answering; soaking in the exterior of the farm girl. He never really took deep thought about where she came from. It only mattered that what she was doing was honorable. Added to the fact that he was envious of her abundance of energy that he no longer obtained. And come to think of it; she was rather pretty as well. She was always dressed in those dirty jeans and t-shirts. He couldn’t blame her though, you certainly couldn’t plow fields and manage animals wearing a pair of high heels.

“Like when I first met you? I could sorta tell you came from the city. You don’t hold the same kind of modesty country girls hold, like Celia,” He said nonchalantly, using the tip of his finger to scratch an itch he had in the corner of his nose as he soon sat up as well.

Marlin sat crisscrossed and dropped his hands into his lap as he caught Jill’s bright cheery expression completely dropped. He knew from the unimpressed look in her eyes that anger was brewing within her. He knew this look far too well. He lived with two women after all. Jill’s attitude was no exception; women were all the same in that way. It frightened him nonetheless, the last thing he wanted was Jill to hate him. He was much too fond of her to just have their relationship end over something so trivial.

“Wait! No, that’s not what I meant!--”

“Then what did you mean? I didn’t do anything crazy back in the city,” Jill puffed her cheeks out in annoyance, setting her wine glass back down.

Marlin shut his eyes tightly, regretting his wording before mustering up the courage to continue on.

“I didn’t mean that you were a loose girl or anything when I meant modest! What I meant was that you’re very independent! And well--I respect you a lot for that,” He found himself turning a bit red from his own stupidity.

Jill studied the old bastard’s face, seeing that clearly he was being sincere when he bowed his head, not being able to look over at her from embarrassment. He was neither suave or handsome. Though, the tomboy still found him endearing which ended up making her laugh. This, of course, rubbed Marlin the wrong way as he was still extremely flustered.

“What are you laughing at!” He snapped his head back up to eyeball her.

“I forgive you,” She said simply having her grin slowly fade as her mind automatically wandered back towards the city and frowned.

The sudden change in her expression perked Marlin’s interest having his impassive mannerism return back to him. Actually feeling a bit concerned at the saddened look she had.

“So, um anyway,” Jill's eyes met the yellow cloth of the blanket as she tried to explain herself with words.

“I wasn’t doing well in the city. I dropped out of my studies and didn’t have a job at the time. My mother was worried about me and suggested that I wrote Tatakura a letter because he was good friends with my father. She said maybe I’d be happier with a fresh start with a new change of life,” She said with a melancholic undertone to her voice as she glanced up and made eye-contact with the grouch next to her.

Jill didn’t mind telling Marlin the full detail of why she decided to travel all the way to the countryside from the city. The only reason that the residents knew about it was that she inherited the estate. Not because she practically begged Tatakura for a chance to give her a job working on the ranch. Tatakura was the only one able to take care of the ranch after Jill’s father died. And he was a wonderful man that the tomboy could never thank him enough for how much she appreciated his kindness towards her. He welcomed her with open arms with no questions asked. And she felt that there was nothing in the world that could repay him for how grateful she felt.

Marlin nodded as she talked, eyes softening from her rawness towards him.

“I think you’re mother was right. You’re doing a pretty good job so far,” A smile slowly grew on his face, trying to reassure her.

The brunette could feel her cheeks heat up from his kind words. Even if she didn’t agree with him it was still nice to know that out of all of the people; the crude oaf that was Marlin truthfully thought she was up to par with her responsibilities. She supposed it made a lot of sense that he was taking the time to actually hear her out and view her for what she was. It was kind of like paying it forward. He was being just as supportive of her that she was with him about his ailment. She didn’t think that Marlin should be defined by what he suffered from. She also knew it aggravated him to no end that he wasn’t able to be a normal man and pull his weight around.

“Thank you,” She answered meekly; taking notice of a piece of hair that stuck up from his forehead and reached over on her knees to try smoothing it down with no luck as it just sprung back in place.

“What do you miss most about the city?” She asked, continuing to play with that stubborn piece of hair.

Marlin kept calm as he didn’t bother making her stop her busy hands from toying with his curls. The drinks he had already consumed had loosened him enough to be more easy-going. Despite that, he generally enjoyed this physical contact from a woman. It wasn’t the same feeling he received when he’d accidentally brush past Ceila and he couldn’t quite put his finger on it yet.

“Honestly? Besides my independence. I miss smoking. A lot,” He emphasized.

“You smoked?” She asked, giving up on the rebellious curl and leaned back away from him.

Rover had awoken from his nap and trotted his way over to the couple with a wagging tail. He sniffed about as he brushed against Jill’s leg causing her to look down and stroke the top of his back with her fingers. The grouch didn’t pay any mind to the mutt as he went on with his thoughts.

“Yeah, smoking became no more for me when I moved out here. It’ll aggravate my condition,” He said almost bitterly as he closed his eyes.

“What about you Miss.Jill?” He teased, slowly opening his eyes yet again towards her.

By this time the pup was being cradled in his master’s arms as Jill continued her petting, this time by rubbing gently under his floppy ears. Whatever indifferent feelings the old bastard had on the dog, Rover still looked up at him with awe in his big brown eyes and tongue sticking out.

“I miss my family. And that’s about it; not so much the lifestyle anymore. I’ve been enjoying living here,” She answered pleasantly, giving Rover’s wet nose a kiss.

Without a word Marlin slowly stood up from the floor and started walking towards the window. His movement enticed the mutt as he wiggled out of Jill’s arms and eagerly trotted after Marlin.

“Same, there’s nothing for me in the city either,” He said while moving the curtain back a bit to take a good look outside.

When he turned back to face her he bent down a bit to give the pestering dog a pat on the head.

“Let’s only make improvements here, okay?” He perked his head up as his back was arched and stood up straight.

Marlin’s words were extremely comforting to the farmer girl. Jill had a growing feeling inside that he somewhat understood the kind of hardships she was currently facing; having some of that loneliness she held deep inside started to crumble away. She nodded in agreement with him and was able to flash him a soft smile.

“I’m game,” She then stood up as well and peeked out the window.

“Do you think it stopped raining for now?” She asked, glancing down at Rover who was seated between their feet.

“Looks like it,” Marlin said as he plucked up her big bulky boots from the floor and handed them to her.

“Let’s take a walk. Enjoy the night,” He suggested quietly as he pulled on his own shoes.

Jill agreed with him and quickly pulled her boots on as well. After they were both settled Marlin opened the front door and turned towards her and offered his arm out. She slowly approached him and linked arms with him. He secured their bond by sticking his hand comfortably in his pocket and started walking over the threshold. Just like protocol Rover ran out after them making the brunette look behind her shoulder as they strolled further away.

“Rover stay!” She commanded.

The dog barked loudly and a lap around the fenced-in pasture as he panted and followed the order and headed back towards the front door and into his little wooden dog house. Right, when the pair started approaching the exit to the ranch they were greeted with the tired-looking Takaura. He was just coming back from the work he did up in Mineral Town and didn’t look too happy seeing the familiar rough-looking farmer from across the bridge at Vesta’s Farm this time of night. He raised a brow at them as he slowed his pace.

“Evening Jill..and Mash?” He spoke in a low gruff tone.

He was almost gobsmacked. It wasn’t normal for any type of company on the ranch this time of night. Nevermind the grouch. Takkakura lived on the same property as Jill; he was even generous enough to fix up some of the old farmhouse to have the young girl live in as he still lived in almost a shack sized home right across from the barn. He was the overseer of her work and played a mentor role. He was nowhere blood-related but he obviously cared for the youngin like his own. He was an older man, with his dark hair starting to gray and a blotchy old anchor tattoo on his bicep that he received back in the army years ago.

“Hey Takakura,” Marlin said cooly, passing by him.

“Hi, Uncle!” Jill blushed and loosened her grip on Marlin’s arm; seeing that the old man was honed in on their body language.

“We’re going for a stroll around the springs. I’ll be back shortly!” Guilt struck her immediately; knowing what Tatakura was thinking.

“Alright then,” He sounded the least impressed as he abruptly looked back at them when he smelled the faint scent of alcohol lingering from the pair.

His weary eyes followed their silhouettes moving further away and watched Marlin leaned in close to Jill as they made a U-turn towards the path into the forest that led into the springs. He mumbled something that wasn’t legible to understand. But whatever it drew loud laughter from the tomboy as their figures faded out of view.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some lingo references:
> 
> 8x10 glossy were these popular photos of typically of a movie star and autographed by them. 
> 
> My grandmother still using this saying when talking about people "She's no 8x10 glossy!" 
> 
> Brylcreem was a super popular brand of hair gel for men. It had a jingle that was infectious. Their slogan was "A little dab'll do ya!" As in, you didn't need a handful of grease to slick your hair back. Apparently the brand is still around today. :)  
> 


	4. Enlightenment

The blaring beeping from the alarm clock went off right at 4:55 am like it did every morning. Jill always set her alarm five minutes earlier so she didn't risk sleeping in and would give her a tiny bit of a head start. Her eyes reluctantly shot open as she finally did and stared up at her ceiling with the watermark stains glaring down at her; just another headache reminder of how much work the old farmhouse needed and how she absolutely hated to keep asking Takakura to repair things for her. With a heavy sigh, the tomboy pulled the covers all the way over her head to superficially hide from her issues just for a minute. Which the sharp pounding from her head didn't help any. As she now whole-heartedly regretted all the drinking she had done last night at the Blue Bar with that stone-faced Marlin dolt. Was it even worth it in the end?

Her memory was foggy about the events that happened. All she felt for sure was that she was utterly confused by Marlin and his intentions towards her. He was such a weird guy and she wasn't talking about the chip on his shoulder either. It was more of his actions; he clearly was lovesick for the dainty farm girl that was Celia but seemed to show a lot of interest in Jill as well. The tomboy was making herself feel irritated by how deeply she was thinking about this whole situation. The grouch was nothing more than a desperate man after all. It was clear to see that Celia didn't even give him the time of day. She is far too pretty and kind for that miserable clod. And Jill believed that Marlin knew that too.

It wasn't Celia that the brunette was resentful over it. She had nothing to do with how dumb Marlin was. It was Jill herself that she was angry towards. She was so upset with herself about how she knew that the old bastard that lived on Vesta's farm was ogling at Celia. But yet still wanted to be close with him and desired his attention and it made her sick. It was unclear to Jill whether it was the love she felt or her inward craving for human affection that made her feel this desperate. Either way, silly things like love weren't going to take care of the animals and the crops. She at least had enough willpower to still keep track of what was most important by finally yanking the blanket off of her face and slamming down the alarm button to nerve-wracking ringing to cease.

\--

She was forced to wash up in the sink in her little tiny kitchen this morning as the shower stall decided to crap-out last minute on her. The plumbing in this house was unbearable. Takakura would joke often about how hot water was a luxury around these parts. Which the tomboy believed since Muffy had complained about it often. She didn't even mind boiling a pot of hot water on the stovetop to freshen up. What Jill missed the most from the city was being able to clean her clothes in the washing machine. Such a contraption was unheard of in the valley; the brunette was lucky enough to have a wringer washer in the barn shed. Though, she did enjoy the occasional meet-ups with Celia and Vesta at the river with their wash-boards to scrub their laundry clean.

The humble living of the country life brought new perspectives to Jill as she wondered if this is the reason why her mother suggested her daughter take over the farm. It was the quiet hours of the morning before the tomboy headed out to the fields where she'd go into deep thought about her old life back in the city. She didn't really care to let things like this cloud her mind, it was only going to make her melancholy. She supposed that's why she took pleasure in working so much. Besides showing her worth and caring to her animals it was a good distraction to the worries that were stored in the back of her head. The brunette hurried on with washing up and the rest of her morning routine before rushing out the front door. If she didn't start early in the morning her chores would literally take all day and she wouldn't have any leisure time for herself later on.

Jill started the day off with her animals of course since they were her main priority. She didn't have too much livestock. Her main source of income was from her cow Martha and the four measly chickens she kept in their coop. Not to mention her little sheep Ringo who was the biggest sweetheart who acted more like a man's best friend than Mary's little lamb. He ran towards her like how Rover did when he'd spot her in the pasture. She didn't get much money from him but for the wool, she learned to shear thanks to Takakura who had taught her. Dilly-Dally, the horse, was the only animal she owned so far that didn't bring in any income. And it didn't matter because the horse was gifted to her by Takakura which made her treasure the animal greatly. He said it was making traveling to Mineral Town easier for when it was time to buy supplies.

Because it was a sunny day out. Jill skipped filling their food bins with bale until this evening and let the animals graze outside instead. The chickens were easiest to care for as all that needed to be done was to collect the eggs and throw some bird feed down for them to peck. A few good hours had passed until she was finally finished with the livestock and was ready to start taking care of the crops. Jill only was using her smaller patches of soil to plant her vegetables as she didn't have enough resources yet to fill the bigger fields. According to Marlin, Autumn was the best season for planting items since there was much more of a variety to choose from. Jill had so far just managed to grow a good amount of sweet potatoes and still had a few more tomato plants coming in thanks to indian summer. She tended to her garden for a bit more as she heard the doors to the barn close and lifted her head up from when she felt Takakura's presence behind her.

"Oh, hello Uncle," She greeted with a smile, getting up from the dirt patch she was kneeling down and started swiping some soil off her jeans that were ripped in the knee.

"Morning Jill. I'd like to inform you that Martha is pregnant. So make sure you keep an eye on her," He told her gruffly and handed her a well-used notebook to look over the details.

The young farmer couldn't have wished for a better Uncle to have in her life. She was thankful for Takakura's knowledge of the livestock on the farm because she had no clue about any of it before she arrived in the valley. There were plenty of books left behind from her father on the topic. However, nothing beat like having it taught to you first hand with the patience that the older man had with Jill. The only downside of the matter was that Takakura only knew about raising animals and selling them. He was the accountant; meaning that he dealt with the books of the stock that went out of the ranch to sell it in Mineral Town. He was amazing in all aspects except for when it came to the crops. Jill's Uncle did not have a green thumb. And he didn't mind telling her that. And that's where Marlin came into the play for her. In his free time, the grouch would choose to appear in the pastures just to give her a hand if he sensed she needed it.

"Thank you for checking up on her. I'm excited!" She skimmed through the pages of the notebook to where Takakura had the page she was looking for marked by folding the top corner of the page down.

"Good, good. And don't forget to check your orders," He reminded her dryly as he started strolling towards the chicken coop and gradually stopped in his tracks.

"Oh, and another thing, Jill," The old man's eyes watched her bouncy steps as she was making her way towards the barn to catch on the mama cow.

"Yes, Uncle?" She came to a halt with the notebook hanging down in her hand.

"I've been seeing that Mash kid around recently at night. I just wanna say that I have my eyes on him," He said firmly, giving her a good stare of discontent before disappearing into the chicken coop.

Jill froze in place as the feeling of complete humiliation started to wash over her. It was mortification, to say the least. She never wanted to have her Uncle think of her as some harlot that brought men over in the middle of the night just to hop in bed with. It must have looked even worse in Takakura's eyes considering that Marlin was much older than her; since she herself was only 23-years-old. He must be thinking the grouch was a pervert. First Celia and now the young farmer. Her face was red as the tomatoes growing in the garden.

\--

After cleaning the bedding of the animals from inside the barn and going into the inventory room to order the special type of fodder for pregnant cows Jill headed back to the pasture and hopped the fence to break the news to Martha which she didn't seem to have much of a reaction until the brunette nuzzled her head against her muzzle. Plenty of time had passed since it was early morning. Getting closer to noon as it was somewhere around 11:00 am. Jill had thought about taking her chance and planting some strawberry seeds since the hot weather was still in effect. She was both eager and dreading the visit to Vesta's Farm. In her girlish stupidity, she decided to head over anyway.

Vesta's farm was only a spit throw away from the ranch. All Jill had to do was walk a short distance and cross the bridge. It was an amazing sight of a multitude of flourishing and diverse vegetables and plants. Vesta's crops were far more superior than the tomboy's dinky patches of soil. Not to mention the rows of greenhouses that stored the more valuable vegetation. The shop Vesta owned was right next to her home where both Marlin and Celia lived as well. As the brunette came closer she passed by the big burly figure that was the woman Vesta. She was a large woman; both in height and weight. With the same wild curly hair, Marlin had but was much lighter in color considering she was a ginger. She was only ever seen wearing big red rubber boots for tending her crops. She was a no-nonsense kind of woman. And the tomboy really loved that about her. Just like Takakura, Vesta was also very warm to Jill from the start. One can see how her brutal attitude wasn't for everybody as Marlin was definitely henpecked by the woman.

Once the burly woman spotted the young farmer step onto the property she greeted her loudly and enthusiastically from afar as she yanked a scarecrow out of the ground with brute force. A toothy grin spread across her face.

"Hi, Jill! Come to visit Marlin today!" She hollered out with a whooping chuckle as she trudged her way through the damp dirt of the crops as she carried the scarecrow over her shoulder with ease.

"Hey, Vesta! And yeah, sorta," Jill hated to admit; though she believed that the older lady was very supportive of her and Marlin's bond. It got him away from the house and preoccupied him away from Celia.

Speaking of which is who Jill spotted first in the shop when she opened the door before taking in a good view of the beautiful green crops. The pace was empty and old looking but very well kept. In essence, it was basically a giant shed with towers of supplies such as bags of seed and other items for sale with a massive, long workshop table just plopped in the middle. They didn't even have a register; they kept larger bills in a cigar box and counted it back to you.

"Good morning Jill. How are you feeling today?" Celia asked with a sweet smile.

Oh, Celia. The girl in question that Marlin thought was the greatest thing since sliced bread. Well, in fact, the modest little farmer girl was certainly pretty. It was true when Muffy said she was plain. But, it did not take away from the feminine charm she contained. She was dainty and polite which Jill lacked both off at times. She was a few inches shorter than the tomboy and had a darker shade of brunette hair that was also long past her shoulders. Her eyes were also a deeper brown. She wore a peasant dress and an apron tied around her waist. She often wore cute bandanas around her head. She was the kind of woman a man would want to make his wife. And she understood the attraction that the old bastard had towards the girl. Celia wasn't the type that was able to chase unwelcomed raccoons out of the garden at the crack of dawn with a ho like clumsy tomboy.

"Morning Celia," She greeted pleasantly and slipped her rucksack off her shoulders and set it on the table to dig out a few dollars for the seeds she wanted.

"Can I have two packs of strawberry seeds, please?" Jill asked as she discreetly looked around the large space trying to get a glimpse of the dolt she originally came to see. She placed the money down in front of the modest girl.

Celia nodded, keeping her delightful charm. It wasn't even an act either. The fellow farm girl was genuinely kindhearted by nature. That's the main reason why Jill could never resent her for Marlin's insufferable behavior towards her. And just like Jill, Celia wasn't blood-related to Vesta but still was treated as if she were. According to the old bastard himself; Celia was working on the farm before he moved in.

She went through one of the opened boxes and slipped out two packets of strawberry seeds like what was requested and politely handed them to the brunette.

"Here you are Jill, are you going to try to take advantage of the hot weather and grow your strawberries?" She asked.

"Yeah, Marlin suggested that to me," She answered in a bit of a curious tone.

"Hey, where's that grouch anyway?" The tomboy continued and took another glance around.

Celia's brows dipped down in concern at the question.

"He's not in a very good mood I'm afraid," She grew a coy smile on her lips.

Jill's eyes dulled at her explanation.

"Well, that's nothing new," She sneered.

Celia held her hands behind her back timidly and leaned forward to whisper to Jill cautiously.

"He's hiding in the back room. He's fine though," She continued her in a hushed voice and snapped her body up straight when she heard the door behind them slam shut.

Marlin appeared grumpy as very with a dangerous look in his eyes. He was without a doubt in a bad mood. It only made Jill want to tease him, even more, when he was miserable for no good reason. A taunting grin stretched her face as she looked at him from behind the large table next to his darling Celia.

"What's wrong with you grouch? It's not raining today, cheer up!" The tomboy tried to push his buttons for her own amusement and possibly Celia's too.

He shot Jill the dirtiest of looks.

"Did you come here for seeds or to break my balls?" He scoffed at her, hands already in his pockets.

"Can it be both?" Jill asked smoothly; resting her arm on top of the work table and squinted her gleaming eyes at him.

Her taunting only caused him to get more perturbed. Celia was clearly feeling uncomfortable from the tension from the two. Marlin was brewing with anger and shot his head back to look over at the dainty farm girl. Celia turned her head away to avoid Marlin, aware of his attitude.

"Did you even tell her what happened today! And no, it's not the weather before you go on asking me," His tone was harsh and sarcastic.

This stirred up Jill's nosiness as she finally tossed her seeds rucksack finally and pulled it back over her shoulders.

"No, what happened?" Her eyes widened in curiosity.

Celia looked physically nervous as she hesitated on speaking.

"It's nothing important! Please, don't worry about it!" Her brows flustered with a disheartened look plastered on her face.

"What are you talking about!" He snapped at her and directed his glare back at Jill.

"Some ass came into the shop and was giving Celia a hard time. I didn't even get to say anything to the guy because he left too soon!" He fumed.

Celia had brought her hands to the front of her apron and gripped onto the material nervously.

"Marlin it was really no big deal! I'm okay!" She kept that innocent smile glued to her face.

It was unbelievable how all of this was unfolding in front of Jill. It only caused her to give the old bastard the same unimpressed stare he was inclined to give her. The tomboy was aware that she was more critical to the situation because the ass-kissing Marlin was doing.

"Tragic," She scoffed.

Oh, how this infuriated him. He pulled a hand out of his pocket and pointed at Jill in disbelief.

"What's your problem today!" He shouted at her, narrowing his eyes to figure her out.

"Marlin, please calm down!" Celia meekly tried to chime in to defuse the argument as he was already used to doing in their household thanks to his bad attitude.

"Hasn't it ever occurred to you that maybe if Celia wanted your help that she'd ask you?" Jill's tone was lukewarm; so fed up with his wretched behavior towards when Celia was nearby.

"Because she doesn't deserve to be treated like that! She's far too kind--"

"Maybe, instead of trying to play her white knight in shining armor. You should let her grow a backbone," She then purposely made eye-contact with the dainty woman.

"No offense to you Celia. I just don't always think it's a man's place to save us all the time, you know?"

Jill sincerely meant what she was saying. None of the harsh words she spoke were out of spite of the woman or any mean spirited ploys. It was just beyond sickening to have to listen to the old windbag go on about how fragile the modest little farm girl was.

Celia blushed, panning her eyes away as she still looked uncomfortable.

"Um, no offense taken," She fell silent quickly; probably feeling mighty insecure by what was just said.

"You sound like Vesta when you talk like that," Marlin had managed to cool down his temper.

The tomboy knew he was saying that as some type of slight towards her as she knew Marlin always crazy about her radical actions.

"Good," She said emphatically.

"I like your sister. She owns her own business with her own employees. I want my ranch to be as successful and beautiful as hers one day. And speaking of which," Jill looked down at the watch on her wrist.

"I should go now. I haven't cleaned out the barns yet. See you guys later," She started marching off and swiftly turned back around to give Marlin a dull look once more.

"When you're no in a bad mood. Stop by my farm later or something," She said and continued out the door.

Both Marlin and Celia stood there baffled at what had just happened. More so the grumpy farmer more than the delicate woman. Silence seeped into the room and made it unbearably suffocating. He honestly didn't understand that farm girl. The nerve she had to even say such gibberish like that. She had no place in telling him that he shouldn't have defended Celia. She was just trying to push her weight around because she's some girl from the city.

"Marlin, you shouldn't get so worked up like that. It's bad for your health," Celia finally squeaked out.

And with that being said was the final straw for the old bastard as the truth of what she was saying hit him over the head like a ton of bricks. Jill's main point wasn't just referring to Celia's shy personality. It was also directed towards his own behavior and how he was treating the modest girl with the same coddling behavior he so very much hated. And boy, did this feeling sting. He ignored Celia, too fed up at the moment to even want to be bothered responding to her as he chased after Jill.

"Jill!" He called out to her as she was approaching the bridge.

She spun around to peer over at him with her face lighting up in surprise.

"Yeah!" She shouted back.

The sudden commotion caused Vesta to gawk out at the two once they started yelling back and forth. Celia peeked her head out from the shop doorway in concern. Not understanding the situation at all. Marlin felt eyes staring at him from the back which automatically made him hesitate; causing him to glance back a bit to see that Celia had made herself scarce again by puttering around into the shop. Vesta just gave him a bewildered look as he rushed over to the young farmer and met her halfway on the bridge.

"If it rains," He was already out of breath, how pathetic.

Jill tilted her head, not grasping what he meant.

"Huh?"

"If it rains! I'll see you next time it rains!" He raised his voice not just from being annoyance towards her but to himself for getting winded just from a brisk jog.

A smile slowly grew on her face from the comment and nodded in agreement.

"Okay! See you then!" She beamed and kept on walking.

Marlin kept still on the bridge long after she had gone out of view and back to the trail of her farm. He still couldn't figure out. She was messing up his whole perspective on how he felt about what he wanted and how he viewed this dinky little valley. Just maybe, there were other possibilities in Forget-Me-Not Valley.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I named the horse "Dilly-Dally" after the little puppet boy from Howdy Doodie which was popular back in the day. (It's also a cute name for a horse I think anyway)
> 
> Ringo was the actual name I used for my sheep in the game and decided to use it in the fic because it was fitting.
> 
> Wringer washers still exist but they were popular back in the 1960s. :)


	5. Red Rover

In Forget-Me-Not Valley it poured at the end of the summer. And rainy days were lucky days for Jill. It was the only time when she had Marlin to herself. Where she didn’t have to go to Vesta’s farm or the Blue Bar to find him. As their bond grew closer there was an agreement. Days it rained were the days Marlin would spend with Jill. This was for a few reasons. For one, Marlin wasn’t allowed to work on the crops in the rain due to his illness. And when Vesta wasn’t around he wasn’t able to make any sales in the store. It left Marlin basically free until the rain stopped. And two, rainfall meant no need for watering the fields or letting the livestock out in the paster. Leaving Jill will a lighter load of duties as well. It was a match made in heaven.

The rain started late afternoon, and it didn’t look like it was going to let up anytime soon. Jill sat in her living room on the floor, hair down, and Rover the dog in her lap. She sat in front of the television, watching the weather channel to make sure her date was still on. She stroked the floppy ears of her dog, leaning back on one hand as she glanced over at the time with a frown. Marlin showed up at the farm a few minutes later. He was bundled up in a coat, holding open an umbrella and a paper bag in his hand. Takakura and he crossed paths as they gave each other a grumble as a quick hello. Marlin rang the doorbell to the house. Rover hopped up and started to bark as he ran towards the door. Jill quickly followed and answered it. In the threshold stood Marlin’s tall slender frame. He entered the house swiftly as he handed Jill a bottle of wine and closed his umbrella.

“Hey,” He greeted in a cool tone.

“Hey!” He stepped in pushing the dog off carefully as he closed his umbrella.

“You look so weird carrying an umbrella,” She grinned at him, holding the wine and taking the paper bag from him as well as she used her foot to push Rover away, preventing him from jumping onto Marlin.

“What does that even mean?” He sneered, bending over to take his shoes.

“It means that you look weird carrying an umbrella,” She repeated to tease him.

Marlin rolled his eyes, he shook his head in annoyance and dropped his shoes onto the mat by the front door.

“Not even a minute in and you’re already breaking my balls aren’t you?” He walked passed her and paid no mind to the hyper dog that was yipping at his feet.

“I’m glad you remembered to get wine,” She said, pulling the bottle out of the bag and onto the coffee table.

Jill picked up the pup to help calm him and kissed the top of his head while continuing to hold the paper bag in her free arm.

“Oh course I remember. You bought the wine the last time. So I brought it this time.”

Her curiosity got the best of her as she peeked into the bag to see the other item on the bottom.

“A gift? How thoughtful of you~” She said, setting Rover down quickly so he didn’t have a chance to stick his nose in the bag when she peeked it open.

“What is it?” She asked.

“Crackers, and cheese,” He said, propping his umbrella down by the door next to his shoes and neatly laid his coat over the arm of the couch.

“I went into town with Vesta today and spotted a shop that was selling them on sale. I figured I would buy it since those two things go with wine?”

He looked down at the picnic blanket that was spread out in the middle of the living room floor.

“Why do you do this?” He gestured down to it with his hand.

“Mh?” Jill turned, already nibbling on a cracker.

“I thought it was a cute idea. An indoor picnic,” She smiled at the grouchy and picked up the bottle of wine to hand it to him.

“Can you open it? I never can,” She walked away before he could respond, going to receive a couple of wine glasses from the makeshift shelf on her wall.

Marlin took hold of it.

“Do you have a corkscrew? That’d be very helpful,”

He rolled his eyes and headed into the kitchen in search of one. Before he walked into the small space a delightful smell of something sweet caught his nose. When he peered into the kitchen he noticed that something was baking in the oven.

“Urm, it should be in one of the drawers in the kitchen." She said, plopping down on the couch to avoid her pesky pooch and his salivating mouth.

Rover was sticking around the coffee table where the cheese and crackers were laying on top of the wooden surface. He was panting heavily while pacing back and forth with his tail waving at the sight of his master taking another bite of a cracker. He licked his chops at the sight of the crumbs falling down into her lap. Jill eyed at her four-legged companion with an odd grin as she made a shooting motion towards him.

The gesture wasn't appreciated by the dog. As he was far too familiar with the temptation of human food to get told no as an answer. He hopped a couple of times and gave a bark of dissatisfaction. When a pop was heard from the kitchen; Marlin must have finally managed to pull the cork out from the bottle. The high-pitched barking twisted into a menacing howl as the dog's ears flattened back against the top of his head in fright.

“Got it open. Finally,” Marlin grumbled as he walked out of the kitchen and eyed at Rover and his perpetual crying.

" Hey! Quiet down, why dont'cha!"

"Don't talk to him like that!" Jill stared harshly at the miserable farmer and plucked Rover up from the floor and cradled him which ceased his whining immediately as he cuddled into her arms happily.

"You spoil that damn dog too much," He scoffed, stopping in front of the couch and put his empty hand out as he gripped the bottle of wine with his free one.

"Hand me your glass," He added curtly.

The tomboy did so, still petting Rover’s back as the dog laid beside her now.

“You’re just jealous that he’s the one that keeps me warm at night.”

Jill said just to tease him as a cheeky grin grew on her face. Marlin ignored her, not really knowing how to reply back to such a comment, was she already drunk? What a thing to say. He filled up his own glass and settled down onto the couch beside her with that mongrel laying in the middle to separate them. He felt a bit uncomfortable as he hunched over and hung an arm over his leg, taking a sip of wine. He let his eyes wander away from her in thought.

“Something smells good in the kitchen. What is it?” he asked suddenly, just to make the tension.

“Nina gave me a recipe to make bread. Want to try some?” She managed to stretch over enough to avoid squishing Rover and linked her arm with Marlin’s to rest comfortably against his side.

“Sure, if you don’t mind,” He glanced over at Jill from the corner of his eye as he watched her disappear into the kitchen.

The gruff farmer readjusted in the cushions of the lumpy couch snuggly and stretched an arm to rub at the back of his sore shoulders. Marlin turned his head when he felt an all too familiar soft fur brush against the side of his leg. He looked down questionably at the affectionate pooch, watching him wiggle closer towards him. With little effort Marlin gave the dog an awkward pat on the head to show some type of tenderness to him.

“I’m not jealous of you, you little mongrel,” He grunted out bitterly, only fooling himself in the process.

When Jill came back carrying the bread on the plate Rover had found himself cozying up closer to Marlin, resting his muzzle on the edge of his knee as his little black nose started wiggling from taking in large whiffs of the creation his master had made.

“It’s cornbread. It didn’t come out the best but I tried,” She sounded uncertain, setting it down on the coffee table next to the paper bag that still held the cheese and crackers from the dog.

With closer examination, the loaf was quite small a bit on the overcooked due to the brownish color and lumpy in texture. It didn’t sway Marlin away by any means because it still smelled as fantastic.

“Looks pretty good to me,” He shrugged, trying to keep a cool demeanor but also wanted to be encouraging towards the farm girl.

A smile spread across her face from the compliment as Jill was not expecting any type of softness from the grouchy old bastard. Her expression must have been infectious considering that Marlin slowly smiled back.

“Thank you,” Her cheeks blushed faintly pink as she leaned towards him to embrace.

He was more than willing to accept her attempt but was cut short when Rover swiftly leaped half-way onto the table with his mouth agape and eyes large as saucers. It caused Marlin to holler out in surprise.

“Aye! Rover Get outta here!” He grabbed onto the cornbread so quickly that it almost fell off the plate and stood up from the couch and walked his way over to the middle of the living room to get away from the dog.

Jill watched him sit down on the yellow picnic and set the plate down nearby. Marlin felt her judgmental eyes on him and gawked up at the farm girl in confusion.

“What?” He asked, bluntly.

She said nothing, picking up both their wine glasses, leaving the bottle on top of the coffee table, and handed him his glass before sitting down next to him. She curled her thumb and index finger together and flicked the side of his head right against his large sideburn as a playful punishment for constantly nagging her dog.

Marlin took hold of the glass and snapped his head back, leaning away from her and winced.

“Hey! Watch it girl!” He took a sip of wine and rubbed his temple.

“The only thing that should be watched is your attitude!” She wagged her finger at him.

His lips stretched tightly downwards into a scowl as creases formed on his forehead with his eyes narrowing over at Jill. Getting rather fed up with her boldness towards him. He had no idea where he mustered the courage from but he grabbed onto her thin wrist and pulled himself towards Jill. He kissed her. And Marlin couldn’t believe himself. It was her teasing for sure that provoked him. But it didn’t seem to frighten the tomboy as she froze in place at first and slowly eased into the kiss as her eyes closed in bliss. This was amazing, it has been so long since the older man had experienced intimacy like this. A woman’s caress was so soft and so warm. All of a sudden it felt like he was washed over in temptation. He wanted it to last forever.

To Marlin’s dismay, the brunette broke the kiss before he was able to deepen it. He respected her choice of pulling away as he gradually sat back down flat onto the yellow blanket. This girl’s cheeks were beaten red, it was adorable. Jill was too embarrassed to directly look back up at his gaunt face. She looked so much like a kid when shy like this. She had a tough outer core but was still a youngin at heart. Sitting on her knees where her hands were neatly placed until she lifted her arm up and covered her mouth suddenly. And this is when the guilt started to sink in. Perhaps he was too quick on the draw. Letting his manly desires manipulate him into rash decision making.

“I’m u-uh--”

“I’m sorry,” He said, finding himself absently-mindedly glancing away as well.

He felt so stupid. He shouldn’t have even started coming here. He obviously wasn’t responsible enough to keep his hands to himself. And the shame really started to chip away from him. His bushy brows flustered together in being distraught.

“It’s okay.”

Marlin heard as all of a sudden he felt her small hand lay over his that had now squeezed into the fists from frustration from his own stupidity. Her gentle touch caused him to snap his head back up at her and stared up at her pleasant expression. He felt himself blushing as he turned his body away and closed his eyes tightly to compose his anger and not direct it towards the farm girl. Jill observed him troubled, scooting closer to sit right beside him. Seeing that he felt uneasy she took it upon herself and planted a kiss onto his neck which only caused him to react like a cat with its hackles up. He pushed himself away and looked up at her in utter horror.

“Don’t apologize. I-I liked it,” Her face lit up red again with a coy smile stretching her lips.

Marlin blinked, he didn’t follow. Was she really? Or was she just saying it to ease his guilt.

“Yeah?” He sounded skeptical.

Jill nodded, glancing back over at the couch when Rover who came trotting back over to the couple and laid onto his belly next to his master with his tail wagging happily. She stroked the dog’s back and pondered.

“So, uh, Takakura told me he’s keeping an eye on you because you’ve been here more at night lately,” She mumbled and felt around for her wine glass blindly.

Marlin picked up her glass and refilled it a splash before handing it back over to her. Jill took it graciously and took a sip.

“Thank you,” She kept that charming smile.

He grunted in response, stretching over her lap to pick up his own glass and raised a brow in curiosity.

“Not surprised,” He gave a lazy shrug as he took a sip of his own wine.

“I mean, I guess I can’t blame him. I’d feel the same if a guy went out drinking and brought Celia home every nig--”

“Red, rover! Red rover, come watch Celia bend over!~” Jill sang out, mockingly as she laid flat on her back and lifted her pup up in the air like you would a baby.

The grouch clenched his jaw from irritation as the scowl reappeared on his face when he heard a giggle escape her. Just to think that he was feeling a bit bad towards the former city girl and now she was bluntly trying to get under his skin. How dare she.

“What the hell is that supposed to mean!” He shouted out, watching her as she gave her pooch a kiss on his big wet nose.

“Hey! Are you listening to me!” His outrage was drowned out by the dog’s happy bark.

Jill’s goofy smile soon faded, rolling onto her side and set Rover back onto his feet as she slowly sat back up and crisscrossed her legs. Her eyes met with Marlin’s icy stare, she was unphased.

“Nope. If it has to do with Celia I’m not interested. It’s a shame too because she’s such a nice girl and every time you bring her up it makes me so annoyed,” She said bluntly.

“What the fuck is your problem! What do you mean _bend over!_ ” He was livid, couldn’t believe her audacity.

“Do you not remember the time I caught you staring at Celia’s backside when she was checking the crops?” She kept in contact with him.

Marlin’s anger seemed to settle as he began to drift off into thought. Once he recalled his outrage surfaced yet again.

“That happened last spring! A year ago! Before we were even close! You can’t hold that against me!”

Jill’s expression softened a bit.

“Ah, so you’re not denying the fact that you gawk at poor Celia?” She gave an amused grin.

He bowed his head, touching his forehead to push back a loose curl that escaped from his greased back hair. There was a hesitation before answering, trying to compose the temper he actually felt.

“I’ve confessed to you the confusion I’ve felt about Celia. So I don’t appreciate you throwing the past in my face like this,” He stared into his glass and took a long sip before setting it aside.

“I thought we were close, Jill,” His tone drenched in disgust, he definitely regretted kissing her now.

Jill’s expression softened at the old bastard’s sudden saddened form. It wasn’t her intention to hurt him so badly. Perhaps her teasing was too much. She thought for her that Marlin had thicker skin than this, though Celia was a touchy subject. Her insecurity towards the dainty farm girl was plain. And the effect of her jealousy was alarming when the old bastard stood up all of a sudden and began heading towards the door. Rover hopped when Marlin did, trotting right behind him. The brunette caught up to him right before he was able to get to the front door and grabbed onto the sleeve of his shirt.

“Marlin, wait! Please, sit back down. Let’s discuss things,” She tugged at the fabric of his sleeve gently.

He stiffened at her touch, slowly looking over his shoulder and down at her youthful face.

“What kinda things?” He asked.

“You know what kind of things!” She linked arms with him, dragging him back to their original spot on the couch.

Without resistance he allowed this tiring girl to drag him along as he plopped back down onto the cushions after Jill sat down first.

“Do you remember the question I asked you the last time you walked me home?”

Marlin fell silent, knowing very well what she said. Mentioning the suggestion of them being a couple. Which didn’t seem like the brightest idea of seeing how the young woman’s hostility was drawn out by sarcasm. This old farmer was the elder between them, he should be taking the incentive in this situation. But in the typical format, he was a coward and weak from the charms of this farm girl. A long moment passed by as he reflected on it.

“Mh.”

Was the only answer he was able to conjure up. Which didn’t bode well with Jill as she still didn’t feel secure on where the two stood when it came to dating or how far this grouch was willing to go with her. Was this just a game to the fool? He kissed her for Goodness sake! He must have some sort of feeling for her. Or perhaps it was just his male desires that was leading him around on a leash. How pathetic.

“Why do you act close to me at the Blue Bar but when I visit you at Vesta’s you act more on edge? Is it because Celia’s there and you don’t want her to catch on? That you want to keep your playing field open, even though you barely have one.”

Her words were cutting, she didn’t mean for them to be. It just came out that way. It was justified but the swaying feelings that Jill held towards Marlin were starting to leave open wounds on her heart. He had not vocalized his distaste but his body language just showed it well. His arms crossed to his chest and turned away from her, almost sulking.

“You’re talking pretty ignorant right now, you know that? Celia is well aware of our bond and has been supportive of us,” He closed his eyes tightly, starting to feel flustered again.

He readjusted his legs on the couch and pressed the soles of his feet firmly to the aged-wooden floor as he continued.

“I’ll admit it! Celia has confused me and I ain’t proud of it! She’s a woman I’m sharing a space with. It’s hard for a man like myself not to notice her beauty and tenderness,” His leg started to shake from nervousness.

“But the way I kissed you tonight…” He trailed off as he couldn’t bear to make eye-contact with her.

“Will never compare to the strange emotions I’ve experienced with Celia. You're a different kind of woman from her, Jill. Granted you annoy me at times. But overall I find you to be kind, hardworking and have become a really good company for me. You don’t make me feel sick and hopeless like when I’m home. Celia is a good woman, don’t get me wrong. And before you came around I thought Celia would be the only chance I got to be with a woman. I never wanted her to leave the Valley. I was afraid of being lonely out of my own selfish desires. And I don’t wanna feel that way anymore. I just wanna feel that same happiness you filled me up with like when I kissed you!”

When Marlin turned his body back to face her he was greeted with the unexpected. Jill had squeezed herself close to his side by wrapping her arms around the miserable farmer’s slim waist and pulled him tightly towards her and crushed her lips to his. He was stunned at first and slowly loosened his muscles and kissed back, opening his mouth a bit wider as he tilted his head to get a better taste of her. This time around she allowed it, eagerly feeding into the kiss and shivered when Marlin raised an arm to cup her face, rubbing his thumb across her cheek. Their lip-lock lingered before Jill broke it and stared up at him lovingly.

“Are you being truthful?” She mewled, taking hold of his wrist gently.

Marlin blushed, frowning deeply at her doubtfulness.

“Of course I’m being truthful!” He snatched his arm away to run his hand down his face and dropped it down over his knee.

“You don’t treat me like I’m sick, Jill! Celia pities me! Why would I want to marry a woman who only pities me! And I’ve come to expect that as my future until you moved into the valley. I cherish our bond, Jill. You make me feel like a normal man. I never wanna lose you.”

He was still clearly anguish, fidgeting a bit in his seat and slowly calmed back down when the tomboy pulled him into a hug. He was hesitant at first, cradling her small frame against his chest and kissed the top of her head.

“I’m really fond of you, Marlin,” She perked her head up to gaze up at him in content.

“I’m fond of you too,” He whispered out, finding great comfort in her embrace.

She smiled sincerely at him, nuzzling into the crook of his neck and began rubbing her hand soothing down his back as an attempt to relax him again.

“I’m sorry if I made you upset.”

“It’s alright. It’s understandable. I hope you found closure in what said,” His fingers stroked through her long hair.

From feeling quite daring Jill found her away into Marlin’s lap and curled up against him.

“What do you think?” She murmured out, resting her head onto his shoulder and closed her eyes.

The grouch followed her lead and closed his eyes as well, continuing to play with the ends of her hair. Completely treasuring this moment with her.

“Mh? About what?” He asked, cracking open his eyes to look back down at her.

“Do you want to go steady since your feelings for Celia have changed?” She turned her head to the side, glancing up at his stone-face.

Marlin slowly opened his eyes and stared at her intently.

“Oh, Jill, will you be mine?” He couldn’t help but smirk with his dry tone.

Jill puffed her cheeks out of annoyance and pressed her palms into his chest to playfully shoved him into the back cushions of the couch.

“Don’t make fun of me!” She squealed gently.

He let out a faint chuckle and placed a hand on top of her to kiss her forehead. The tomboy was caught off guard, causing her to release the grip she had on his shirt and blink in confusion.

“I should get going,” He told her, eyes panning over at Rover who had eaten more than half of the cornbread that was left on the floor.

The dog laid flat on his belly and eyes closed now that he was stuffed from the forbidden food. Jill hadn’t noticed yet considering that she was still intrigued with Marlin’s more endearing side. He placed his hands on her hips and gently moved her out of his lap so he was able to stand up.

“It should have stopped raining by now anyway,” He said, moseying over to the front window and pulling the dusty curtain to the side to get a good look out the window.

“What’s the rush?” She frowned, watching him from afar still on the couch.

He bent down to pull on his shoes and reached over to pick up his jacket from the arm of the chair and pulled it on. He kept a calm gaze onto the younger woman as he did this before swiftly turning around to the door and picked up his umbrella.

“I wouldn’t wanna tango with Takakura,” He stated simply while swinging the door open.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I combined three different scenes for this because they were practically identical. And I was so mad at my past self for writing such similar scenes that while I was editing I was tripping myself up.
> 
> The only reason why I named Jill's dog 'Rover' in this plot is that years ago; back in like--2015? Somewhere around there. I was still with my ex who was way more funny and quick-witted than me. Would sometimes throw in little quips and I thought they were hysterical I'd add them. The humor I use for Jill in this plot is dedicated to my ex. <3


	6. Scorcher

It was another hot summer day in Forget-Me-Not Valley and the sun didn’t seem to let up at all. There was little to no breeze and it was absolutely killing Jill. Especially because there was no shade to hide under since the pasture lacked trees which the farm girl had discussed with Takakura about planting some saplings around the perimeter of the acre. Vesta would most likely sell her some for cheap. And perhaps even Marlin would help plant them if he was feeling up to par. For now though the best option Jill had at this point was to dress more comfortably. Thankfully she had managed to buy a belt from Van the traveling merchant when he had stopped by the town square last month. The belt was to help hold up the shorts that she brought from home that no longer fit her from dropping off the pounds from the grueling work that came from farm life. Along with a ragged white tank top that she tied into a knot from the front so a little bit of her belly showed so the piece of clothing didn’t completely hangover her small frame. The tomboy was able to snag the top from Vesta last time the three women washed laundry together in the river. Telling her that Marlin wouldn’t miss such a beat-up article of clothing. 

Beads of sweat started to engulf and drip down from the young woman’s face when her mind couldn’t help but start wandering back to the city as she exhaustly swung her arms back and forth with the heavy sickle to cut down the grain for her livestock. In her younger brother’s most recent letter she recalled how he was able to get an internship with an advertising executive and how wonderful it felt to be an air conditioned office. He expressed his concern about his sister’s health in this insufferable heat and how their Mother worried greatly about her as well. And if need be, her family was willing to spare some help with money if Jill desired an air conditioning unit of her own. Which was unheard of in these parts of the countryside. Thinking back on it now the brunette didn’t even think Mineral Town had such a luxury. Well, besides Dr.Trent’s infirmary and the library. And come to think of it. The Inner Inn must have air conditioning too. The hotel was top notch. She was sure they probably advertised having a cool place to relax as the movie theaters did back in the city. Public places tended to have air conditioning but Jill didn’t know for sure since she purposely avoided the place like the plague because of the owner’s spoiled son, Rock. 

Her family’s offer didn’t matter anyhow even though it was a growing trend in the city nowadays because the units were becoming more affordable to the avenge Joe. Not only did she not want to take advantage of their kind gesture. But also for the major factor that she could not risk the high expense of such a thing. Jill would never outwardly tell her Mother but she’s been having to penny-pinch because the winter was very rough this year. But thanks to all the rain that happened in the spring, it somewhat made up for the lackluster of the handful of potatoes and turnips she was able to grow. The brunette was still mortified at the fact she ended up breaking down into tears at the thought of failing the ranch. It was on her way to Mineral Town to pick up chicken feed with a fist full of money where she happened to cross paths with Nami. The most aloof girl Jill has ever met was the person to console her as she watched her with no judgment as she broke down in tears. She gave her encouraging words and even gave her a pat on the shoulder to show tenderness to the farm girl. It was definitely a surreal experience. And she was hoping to see the redhead come back in this warm weather considering that she had wandered off back in the fall.

Seeing that her arms were too sore to hold up the sickle properly Jill had decided that now was the time to take a well deserved rest. She looked down at all the tall blades of grass that had fallen over to the side when she mowed it down. This Goddess forsaken tool was unbearably heavy and so clumsy to lift up. There has been more than one occasion where the feeble farm girl had fainted from fatigue while gathering fodder for her animals. After she dropped the sickle to the ground with a loud thud she raised an arm and wiped the sweat off her soaked fringe as she waved over to Ringo the sheep trotting behind her a few feet away. He was freshly sheared and enjoying the freedom of being naked, happy that he wasn’t suffocating from that heavy wool. Which was also helpful in his master’s pocket since the highest percentage of Jill’s income this year was from her livestock. When the brunette showed acknowledgment to the little sheep is when he sprinted over towards her happily. It caused Jill to bend over and give Ringo a kiss and a nuzzle against his head. 

“Want to come with me to check on Mama and her baby?” She asked the animal sweetly as she straightened her posture again.

As if the sheep knew what she was saying he responded to her in a cute little bleat as he continued to follow behind the tomboy like her shadow and pass Dilly-Dally the horse who was grazing nearby by the side of the fence. Jill opened the doors to the barn and was greeted by Takakura who was already tending to Martha and her tiny looking baby. She slowed her pace when approaching her Uncle and the animals having Ringo get distracted by his food bin and trot away towards it.

“She and her baby are doing just fine. She’ll have plenty of milk for inventory,” He told her dryly.

“Okay, I’ll do that now,” She told him gently.

He watched the youngin as she slipped off her rucksack and pulled out the small portable milker and knelt down next to the cranky cow who gave the farm girl a hard time at first but finally stood up onto her hooves and allowed her to attach the device to her utters and received the milk. The calf was far too young to get up on it’s own yet. But his little eyes were big and open as he watched on in curiosity. He was going to grow up into a strong steer one day and Jill knew that when that time came to sell him she was going to be heartbroken. But that was part of the process of farm life. She loved her animals but they weren’t pets they were livestock. There shouldn’t be an emotional attachment towards them. And the young woman understood that.

“Those big brown eyes are so cute~” Jill smiled while staring at the baby.

Takakura nodded as a response, with arms crossed as he looked down at how her fingers were placed when doing the milking procedure. He raised a brow as he directed her to ease up, seeing that Martha’s utters were tender from feeding. Jill immediately followed his instructions and cautiously removed the milker from her cow as she settled back down onto the soft hay to rest. The tomboy gave her a loving pat, setting the filled up container to the side to give the heifer a quick cuddle. The old man continued to observe his soft-hearted student. A very faint smirk appeared on his face.

“Maybe that’ll be you someday,” He grumbled out as he strolled past Jill to head towards the storage closet.

The comment struck the farm girl odd as she was whispering sweet nothings to Martha who squinted in content from getting under her chin petted. She sat up from the barn floor and stared up at Takakura puzzled. Ringo now joined them as he laid behind his owner’s back, contently with eyes closed. 

“What do you mean, Uncle?” She was honestly stumped.

“Bein’ a Mother. The way that Mash kid is always around. You’ll prolly get a blue feather outta him one of these days,” He stated matter-a-fact, standing on the threshold of the storage room with a hand limply on the door-knob.

Jill’s face lit up, finding his comment more than amusing. Marlin was such a grouch it was very unlikely. Doubt was too evident in her perspective of the miserable bastard that even though deep down inside that’s all she wanted. Too in denial that she didn’t allow herself to fully recognize it. Before she could say anything Takakura spoke yet again.

“You look whiter than a ghost. Take a break and have somethin’ to eat before you go back workin’. I don’t wanna find you face down in the field again. It ain’t good for your health.”

Before she could get a word in edgewise he quickly turned around and closed the door shut with a slam. Jill smiled at this, knowing that her Uncle meant well even if he was abrupt about it. She gave the calf a few strokes to his soft fur before standing back up and headed her way out of the barn.

\--

Jill followed Takakura’s advice and took a break to have some lunch. She used an egg and some spices that Ruby gifted her not too long ago. Celia had made bread at the beginning of the week and was kind enough to share a few slices with the farm girl. Tomatoes were plentiful so a large chunk was added to the sandwich as well. The brunette was in pure bliss when she bit into her delicious sandwich. The tomato was so ripe that some of the juice dripped down from between her fingers. She hid underneath one of the very few trees in the back of her rickety old house with her canteen of water next to her. The moment was even better since Rover was nowhere to be seen; where she was able to fully enjoy her lunch without him begging. That was sadly short-lived as she was able to hear the pooch’s howling bark. Which was a sign to alert for unknown visitors of the farm. While still continuing to hold her sandwich with both hands with a napkin neatly around it. She stood up from the ground and slowly walked back to the front yard to see who it was. It certainly wasn’t Marlin, he should still be working around this time. As the tomboy took another mouthful of the egg salad a sense of dread sunk to the pit of her stomach. 

Rover was too busy chasing after the obnoxious blond from the Inner Inn than to hound his owner for a piece of sandwich. Something was definitely off since Rock never just showed up at the pasture like this unless he wanted to be bothersome about one thing or another. He wasn’t in his typical flashy attire; dressed down in just a pair of swimming trunks and sandals. The gold piece attached to his necklace jingled back and forth as he jogged over towards the brunette.

“Jill!” He called out with Rover right behind him barking loudly.

The pompous brat let out a joyous chuckle as he twirled around, continuing to shuffle back to face the howling beagle. 

“Come on! Crusheeerrrrrr!~” He hollered out with another loud laugh and skidded to a halt making the dog do the same.

He quickly scooped up the pup and carried him over towards Jill in his arms like a baby. Expecting the worst the tomboy opened her mouth first before any nonsensical baffle poured out of his mouth. 

“I’m not making you lunch,” She told him bluntly, stuffing the last piece of egg salad into her mouth and chewed.

“That’s not what I was going to ask yo--”

“I’m not lending you money for your tab at Blue Bar either,” She swallowed, crumpling up the napkin in her hands.

“Jillian!” Rock sounded appalled as he set down the now squirming dog back onto the ground.

“What do you take me for!” He continued on with his disbelief, placing a hand over his chest.

“A slacker,” She answered honestly.

The blond’s cheery expression dropped from the comment and frowned deeply.

“Sheesh! You’re a hard woman to please. Want to go to the beach? You can work on getting a nice tan~” He wiggled his eyes playfully with a cheeky grin spreading his face.

Jill was the least impressed with the comment as her eyes dulled from his assumption she’d even desire to do such a thing with him. He must be desperate to consider the farm girl as an option. 

“I think I already have that covered, Rock,” Her tone was bland as she motioned to her bare shoulders and stretched out her already darkened arms. 

She had already gotten sunburn earlier this week and it had finally healed enough to give her a nice tan already. The choice for wearing the tank top was not for trying to keep cool but also to even out the farmer’s tan she had going on. Jill was unsure whether or not Rock was playing dumb just to come across as charming or if his name suggested the truth that he was indeed hard-headed. 

“Aw, babe! That’s no way to get a tan! Don’t you want to work on the rest of your bod--”

“No,” She interjected sharply, narrowing her eyes now.

Rover’s ears pinned down at his master’s tone and gave a bark with his tails swaying coming to a halt.

“Come on! Even Crusher wants you to go! Don’t act like you don’t want to get a little wet! I overheard you telling Muffy last night that you wanted to get out of the heat!” He persisted with the grin never leaving his face.

How Jill hated that stupid grin. It was almost mocking her as she continued to stand her ground. This time crossing her arms as she was feeling quite guarded now. 

“I said no,” She emphasized.

“I do want to go. Just not with you,” She stated, getting angry now.

That menacing grin was swiped off his face as he didn’t like getting turned down. He was a brat after all. He was used to getting his way and was a sore loser when it came to being told no. His lips formed into a pout, like a child. Which was nauseating. Was this guy really just a year younger than her? Gah!

“You trying to hurt my feelings?” His expression quickly changed again, humored by this as a chuckle escaped him.

“Nice try babe!” He beamed sarcastically and turned around to give Rover one past pet before making his way out of the farm.

Rover gleefully pitter-pattered behind Rock, the heavy panting caught the blond’s attention and caused him to look over his shoulder. The dog and young man started sprinting as they began to race each other towards the entrance. Rock easily won his round since Rover was trained not to step foot past Takakura’s shack. Jill stayed stiff with her defensive stance and slowly loosened up her joints when the annoying wannabe was out of sight. She let out a deep sigh and turned back around to head towards the tree she was originally sitting under and picked up the canteen to take a swig of water from it. She took Rock’s words as food for thought. Despite the heat, it was a beautiful day and the summer was such a great time around the Valley because it attracted more people from Mineral Town; including Kai, the vendor who set up his snack shack on the beach back on the last day of spring. Everybody was there to celebrate, it was great. Jill even spotted that strange kid Cliff there that was the male drifter of the two towns. 

She closed her eyes tightly as the chilling and refreshing water poured down her throat as every gulp of water quenched her thirst. After the brunette realized there wasn’t any water left inside the canteen she dropped her arm down and licked her lips as she took a gander up at the blue sky. Perhaps it would be nice to visit the beach. Just for a little while. Maybe there’d be a breeze there too. 

“Hey Uncle! I think I’m going to take a break! I’ll be back soon!” She yelled out to the old man who wasn’t visible but she knew for sure he was around and listening.

\--

Jill walked inside the log cabin and suddenly stopped and stood there dumbfounded at the tattered mat placed down at the front door. What in the world was she doing? Did this tomboy even still own a swimsuit? Did she bring one from back home? This was frustrating. She was letting her daydreaming dictate her reality. If there was a swimsuit around here somewhere. And it more than likely would be in the trunk that she stored most of her extra items and some clothing in. It might be a hassle to find the mysterious swimsuit but the tomboy was willing to do the work for a little taste of relaxation. She pulled her heavy work boots off and left them by the door as she crouched down by the trunk and opened it up. There was a bunch of miscellaneous stuff piled into the old chunky thing. 

Including her winter coat that was actually a hammy down from one of her older cousins. It was a swing coat with a plaid pattern and a single button under the collar. It was nothing Jill would pick out herself but it was a garment that served its purpose. She set it aside on the floor next to her to continue until a small photo album caught her eyes. A frowned stretched her lips; wanting so badly to open it but knew if she did it’d only cause her to feel melancholy. Her mother had allowed her to bring one of their albums as a keepsake. The temptation was too powerful as the brunette allowed herself to take a little peek at the remnants that the album contained. The first page was of Christmas from years ago. Even before her younger brother was born. It must have been before Jill’s parents divorced because her father was seated on the couch with members of her mother’s family next to a larger than life Christmas tree all lit up and decorated. It was amazing. Her father looked so young and healthy. Strong like a battle ax. It was a shame of what happened to him. And as that thought started to linger into her brain the farm girl slammed the album shut and placed it back down into the bottom of the trunk. 

After pulling past an antique table cloth that was once owned by her grandmother that her mother insisted on bringing with her for some reason she finally found the swimsuit at last. It was a two-piece; she only wore it a couple of times in her life. It was red with a bandanna print. The bottoms were high waisted and the top had spaghetti straps and ruffled. It was odd to think Jill was going to wear such a revealing outfit. It didn’t seem to suit her anymore, perhaps because the hard work of farm life had taken front and center. And the former city girl was a willing participant in it all. But for today and at this moment. She was willing to put that on hold and enjoy herself. Without trying to feel guilty.

She nodded to herself as she thought this, still holding up the bandana printed two-piece with a critical gleam in her eyes and undressed to put it on. She didn’t bother trying to observe herself in the mirror. The faster she was heading to the beach the longer she was able to enjoy her time there. Before leaving the house the tomboy put the pair of jean shorts back on along with tightening the belt back around her waist. She was lucky enough to find a pair of sandals under her bed that she had completely forgotten about. After refilling the empty canteen and putting it into her rucksack she was good to go. It was too bad she didn’t own sunblock but it was the least of her problems. She had already gotten a good tan from her hard work anyhow.

Jill marched her way out of the cabin and followed the trail that led out of the ranch. She took a look over her shoulder to see that Rover was taking a nap inside his dog house; away from the dreaded sun. And with that, she continued out and past the bridge as she saw the tall, lanky silhouette of the cranky old farmer mulling around in the luscious greenery that was Vesta’s beautiful fields. There were rows and rows of different kinds of melons. Jill was envious. She was only to grow a couple of healthy enough ones this year. The other ones she was able to produce weren’t even that sweet. Marlin had made that clear in his dry blunt way when she offered him a piece a few days ago. As for the old bastard, he was on the other side of the crops where it was still bare and plowing the wet soil. The burly build of his older sister was in the back of him on her knees and plucking weeds away from what looked like stocks of corn that were growing. She had noticed the tomboy first as she gave the young woman a hollering hello as a greeting. The sound of Vesta’s boisterous voice is what made Marlin shoot his head up from the ground. He was squinting, sweat was getting his eyes. 

He quickly used his hand to wipe his face as he continued to squint. Was he seeing this right? The rowdy tomboy from the city was actually wearing a bikini top? Whoa, Marlin would never admit but she looked pretty cute. Instead, his first instinct was sarcasm. 

“What you tryin’ to be? A calendar girl or somethin’?” 

His lips curled in a smirk as he couldn’t help but find amusement with her pursed lips when she got angry as she slowed her pace towards his snarkiness and stopped in front of him. He slouched over, resting his body weight onto the handle of the hoe. It was so insufferably hot out that there was a patch of sweat underneath the collar of his tank-top and the underarms. 

“Harhar, you’re so funny I forgot to laugh,” She responded back, gripping onto the straps of her rucksack. 

“Yeah, yeah. Where you goin’ anyways dressed like that?” He asked.

“The beach. I’m taking a break, want to come with me?”

Marlin raised a brow to this. His eyes drooped in annoyance, the heat was making him feel more irritable than usual as he couldn’t control his harsh tone. 

“A break? Are you kiddin’ me? We got a lot of work to do Jill!” 

A drip of sweat dribbled from his sideburn as he scolded her. The sun was beating down on his back. He couldn’t believe her foolishness.

“There hasn’t been much rain lately. Instead of gallivanting around what you should be doin’ is making sure your crops are well watered.”

The tone in his voice was irking the young farm girl. She knew Marlin liked to pull his weight around her because he was technically her elder. Jill could admit maybe she wasn’t the wisest yet but she still didn’t appreciate him barking at her like this. 

“You’re one to talk, you know!” She stomped her foot down, startling herself a tad from the impact. Forgetting that she wasn’t wearing her bulky work boots. 

“You’re susceptible to the heat! Maybe you should take a break yourself and come with me!”

The comment didn’t bode well with him at all. He has had enough of these damned women constantly reminding him of his ailment like he didn’t know any better. He was a grown man for goodness sake! He didn’t need to be looked after like a child.

“Look at you tryin’ to flaunt your higher education,” He scoffed.

Marlin hadn’t finished high school. He quit in the middle of the semester to become a working man and the rest was history. He looked at her with disdain. Completely resenting her comment. He looked away, couldn't bear to meet eyes with her. 

“You don’t gotta tell me! I know about my own health!" 

He huffed in disgust, quickly making himself scarce from her as he began walking away with the hoe resting over his shoulder. Jill had gripped onto the straps of her bag so tightly from frustration that it gave her white knuckles as she quickly followed behind Marlin trying to continue the conversation. 

"I didn't mean it like that, Marlin! I just thought mayb--" 

Jill lost her words as she almost fell into a shallow patch in the soil when the miserable bastard suddenly stopped in his tracks to abruptly drop the bottom of the hoe into the dirt. 

"Well ya' thought wrong!" His tone became more agitated.

"Why do you have to be so stubborn for? It's not like I'm asking you to take the whole day off," She frowned deeply, trying to strategically pull her bare foot out from the damp ground.

"Just don't come cryin' to me when your crops wilt!" He used the tip of his scuffed up shoe to dig the metal part deeper into the soil.

When Jill put her index finger up in the air to try to scold him further is when Vesta finally piped up to cease the ruckus. She hobbled her way up from her knees and wiped her dirty hands onto her apron. 

"Both of ya' better stop your bickering! You ain't even married and you're driving me crazy!" Her voice boomed from behind them.

This immediately struck the tomboy with panic as she froze in place. She forgot where she was and should have acted more properly in front of the ginger woman. Never wanting to come across crass in front of Vesta who she admired a lot. Jill turned away from Marlin to face the older woman out of a sign of respect with a nervous smile stretching her lips.

"Heh, I'm sorry Vesta," She squeaked out shyly.

The ginger scrunched her face up in indifference and made a shooing motion with her hands towards the young woman as a silent way of telling her to forget about it. Vesta wasn't a woman that fussed about little things too much. The commotion must have perked the interest in the modest farm girl from inside the little wooden shack of a shop as Celia slowly opened the door and poked her head out. It was clear on her face that she felt out of place.

“Um, Jill,” She smiled, stepping out and closing the door behind her.

“I happen to overhear your conversion with Marlin. And well, I don’t mind going to the beach with you.”

She flashed a charming smile to smooth over any tension that may still be in the aura. The tomboy blinked in surprise, never expecting this offer. It’s not like she didn’t want to go with Celia. It was quite the opposite. Jill would have figured she’d rather just stay here with Marlin.

“Really? Are you sure Marlin will let you?” Her face lit up a bit but couldn’t help her bitterness as a sarcasm escaped her.

“H-huh?” Celia’s face flushed a faint blush at the comment, unsure of what the other woman meant.

The old bastard shot her an intense glare from afar; still standing from where she last noticed him. He was biting his tongue at first not to give this blasted woman any satisfaction with still being annoyed at her but was too distracted by the innocent look on Celia’s face.

“Well, I uh, figured if I go then Marlin could take my place inside the shop where it’s cooler.” 

She kept her timid demeanor due to the fear of how the man in question will act to her suggestion. As expected, there was no air condition in the little shack. It didn’t even have an actual floor. It was literally just dirt ground. But there was quite a large fan propped upright by the prep table that served as a front desk. It beat being in the scorching sun for sure.

“Celia will go with you. Now, will you get off my back?” He sneered, setting the how down against the glass wall of one of the greenhouses.

Marlin strolled past Vesta who was back to tending to her newly grown sprouts and stopped in front of the feminine little shop keeper.

“Thank you Celia, for your thoughtfulness,” He spoke kindly to her with tenderness clear in his gaze.

“Oh,” Celia sounded surprised by the compliment. 

“You’re welcome, Marlin. I think Jill is right to stay out of the heat for a little while. And besides, I wouldn’t mind spending time at the beach with her anyway,” Her eyes met the ground, feeling the fellow farm girl’s anger flare-up.

It was impossible for resentment not to start bubbling within the brunette as she watched her love interest purposely fawn over the woman that had made her feel insecure from the start. It wasn’t Celia’s fault for the dumb behavior of the insufferable old man. She made her way closer to the two; standing close by Vesta who had glanced over to observe. She must have thought her baby brother was being a kiss-up as well. The tomboy crossed her arms against her chest in annoyance as she watched on. Celia caught her attention when she was rolling her eyes and quickly snapped back to serious facial expression when she spoke up again.

“I’ll be back in a minute Jill!” 

The charming modest girl told her sweetly as she slowly inched away from the feuding couple and headed towards the door to the house and stepped inside. Jill gave a slight nod just to show acknowledgment to her. Once she disappeared is when the tomboy unleashed her distaste towards the cranky bastard, following behind as he trudged his way to the shop to take his dear Celia’s place.

“You’re such a child by acting so spiteful like that!” She hissed out and grabbed onto the handle of the door before it slammed in her face on its own.

“Spiteful? At least I’m not the one naggin’,” Marlin answered cooly, keeping his back towards her as he walked into the shed and stopped in front of a large pile of unopened boxes of seed and began rearranging them so they didn’t topple over.

“I’d rather be a nag than a spiteful jerk like you!” She snapped, clearly hurt by his fickle behavior. 

“If you think I was bein’ spiteful you’re crazy,” He kept his uninterested tone as his shoulders sagged from annoyance when one of the top boxes fell and thumped onto the dirt floor.

Jill watched him struggle a bit to pick up such a heavy box. But felt no sympathy for him at this moment due to how angry she was. She understood that Marlin was rough around the edges and she appreciated everything he had done for her even when she didn’t ask him to. She knew he did indeed care for her but it didn’t take away the fact that he purposely tried to make her feel bad.

“So, it’s okay for Celia to give up her position in the shop for you to relax when I basically wanted you to do the same thing but at the beach. You tell me I’m being irresponsible for wanting to take time off but when Celia wants to she’s some angel. That’s not being spiteful?”

An uncomfortable silence settled into the room as Marlin continued to give her the cold shoulder as he began to stack the boxes in a more aggressive manner since he was now becoming more agitated. He knew she was right but he’d never admit it. Jill was a lot to handle; he had never met a girl with her attitude before. It’s not like he didn’t like it but it was a lot to handle at times and boy did Marlin hate showing weakness. His pathetic attempt at protecting his stupid pride didn’t sway the fed up brunette, it only disgusted her further.

“We haven’t done anything together in forever!” She finally expressed her true motives.

This comment was enough to make Marlin break his stoic visage as his organizing of the boxes by the type of seeds came to a halt. He spun around to her with narrowed eyes, trying to keep his composure with that same monotone tone of voice.

“We went to the beach opening.”

“That was at the beginning of the summer! And it hasn’t rained lately so I haven’t seen you outside of work lately!--”

“And that’s why you should be watering your plants!” He barked back, abruptly slamming down a box he was still holding onto the ground with a loud thud.

At this point the anger Jill was being had boiled over completely, she was tired of this and Marlin was so guarded she was unable to tell whether or not he was purposely being hurtful or if he was just ignorant to the fact of how she actually felt. Instead of continuing this argument that was going absolutely nowhere, she decided to choose wiser opinion and head on out with Celia to spite him back. 

“You’re just a stubborn old man Marlin. No wonder why no woman wants to marry you!” 

Venom seeped from words as they poured out in disdain. Jill wanted to make her pain present to him if it wasn’t evident enough. She turned sharply to walk out of the shop and slammed the door behind so hard that the hinges squeaked in agony when she left. The sound of the pile of boxes was heard falling over all at once from the miserable man’s own dismay.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's a whole spiel about air conditioning because I remember my grandmother telling me when she was a kid they had no such thing. Only fans. Only public places had it. When I asked her about the 60s she told me that ACs were slowly becoming for domestic purposes. But I figured that Forget-Me-Not Valley isn't that fancy. Probably only the Inner In had it.
> 
> I also asked my Grandmother what kind of sibling Jill should have and she said a younger brother. 
> 
> Swing coats were really popular in that time period. Even though it doesn't suit Jill's character I thought it was a good way to show how she up poor. 
> 
> I couldn't decide on a swimsuit for Jill at first because she's a tomboy and based off 60s fashion. Again, I asked my Grandma what her swimsuit looked like back in the day. It was bandanna print which I thought was really suitable for a little cowgirl like Jill. 
> 
> A calendar girl was a big deal back in the day of pinup girls posing in swimsuits and other sexy clothing (For that time period) that men would buy and admire. There's a song about it by the same title. That's how popular those things were.
> 
> I remember when I first wrote this that the idea was sparked from this fanart ---> https://www.deviantart.com/almaa30/art/Summer-Jill-and-Marlin-304271014
> 
> I also really love Vesta. A lot.


	7. Beach Bummer

Celia stepped back out from the rickety house. She was dressed in a muted green sundress, it was serving as a coverup for her swimsuit. And had similar white embroidery to her favorite bandanna she liked to wear. Jill had found out that Celia was quite the seamstress and the sundress must have been from the same yard of fabric. She was even kind enough to show the tomboy how to needlepoint on one the slow days in the valley. Jill still had the clumsy looking weave canvas hung up in her outdated kitchen. 

She closed the door and stood there shyly with hands tucked behind her back.

“Okay, I’m ready,” She said softly, walking closer to Jill.

"You look so much different without your bandana, Celia. I almost didn't recognize you!" Jill teased, in hopes of lightening up the mood from all the pointless bickering from earlier.

It was so easy to fluster the farm girl as her face lit up in uncertainty and a coy smile. 

"You really think so?" She asked, stroking her fingers through a piece of her long dark hair. 

“Yes! Can I braid your hair before we go? It’ll keep your hair in place,” Jill suggested.

Celia’s expression lit up glee and nodded to the request. 

“Sure!” She turned around for the other girl to grab a few handfuls of her beautiful silky hair.

Jill gently took hold of Celia’s hair and held it in two pieces as she began crossing each piece to create a loose braid. It had been quite a while since the tomboy braided hair that wasn’t her own. She hadn’t seen her cousins in a dog’s age and never had a sister to experience such cutesy moments with. After she was finished Celia turned to face the fellow farmer girl as she touched the end of her braid. She was looking at her softly and it oddly struck Jill. This modest girl was charming indeed. She definitely understood her appeal.

“Let’s go,” Jill said, linking arms with Celia and began walking towards the bridge. 

Before they stepped foot off the property the brunette slowed her pace and looked over her shoulder and back at the towering build of the older woman still lumbering around in the moist soil. 

“I’m sorry again for all the noise, Vesta!” She called out, continuing to walk along with the other farm girl.

The sudden apology caused Vesta to throw a hand up in the air while holding a bundle of weeds in the other against her chest.

“No worries! Just keep it down next time!” She called out gruffly, watching the two leave.

Marlin glanced out the window from inside the shop and watched the pair of girls crossing the bridge. Wallowing in his own self-pity. It was a strange sight to see, two women that pulled on his heart-strings were walking hand and hand together and away from him. It was almost poetic really. His self-loathing didn’t last long at all though. If the creaky hinges to the door swinging open wasn’t enough to drag the old bastard’s attention back the sound of his elder sister’s booming voice infiltrating the small dusty room would.

“Ya’ know, if you keep up that rotten attitude of yours, you won’t be able to keep no girl around. You hear?” She told him sharply as the door swung shut behind her.

Marlin stayed silent, keeping his tired eyes glued to the windowpane as he continued to watch the farm girls cross the bridge and disappear out of sight. He cringed at the sound of his sister’s voice when it raised a tad louder.

“Ya’ hear me, Marlin!” She stopped in front of the prep table and gawked at him, placing her hands onto her hips.

“Yeah, I hear ya’,” He begrudgingly answered and looked away from the window as he rubbed his sore arms.

\--  
The stroll to the beach was quiet but not awkwardly uncomfortable as Jill would have thought it would be. Though, thinking back on it she doesn’t know why it would be. Despite the elephant in the room that was the obvious crush Marlin has had on Celia since the day he moved to Forget-Me-Not Valley. There were times, especially in the beginning where the tomboy foolishly still felt like the _other_ woman. She was sure that the more humble girl was grateful to have another female around her age she was able to pass time with. Muffy was a lovely woman but she was in a league of her own since she fancied herself as a posh city gal. And Nami was far too much of a loner to cozy up to so it was understandable. Jill’s feelings seemed to be one-sided seeing that Celia was quite fond of her. And the tomboy could honestly say it was likewise. Since Celia was much more domesticated and Jill had learned a lot of helpful tips from her. And with that being said she began to feel a bit guilty for the dispute that happened back at Vesta’s farm.

“Uh,” Jill hesitated, glancing down at the sparse grass that grew around the area where Gustafa hut was.

“I’m sorry for arguing with Marlin in front of you like that. I shouldn’t have done that,” She loosened her grip on the other woman’s arm as she mustered up enough courage to look over at her.

“Oh! It’s alright, really!” Celia’s pleasant demeanor never seemed to leave her. 

Jill was doubtful of this as she sensed the nervousness behind that strained smile. Celia was a shy girl, not a stupid one. She must be aware of the made-up rivalry the valley had created between them that was caused by the grouchy farmer’s infatuation with the pretty little farm girl. But truth be told; even when the two girls were alone they got on great. Celia was more than willing to teach the former city girl the talents she had skilled such as cooking and even jarring vegetables. Her and Vesta had invited her over a few times to jar an array of vegetables together and even let her keep a few jars to save when the harsh winter weather came. 

“Is it? I just don’t want you to think that you’re the cause of our bickering. You must know that Marlin is just a stubborn old man.”

Bitterness returned to Jill’s tone as her heart was still bruised by her love interest’s fickle attitude towards her. As she looked on in disdain Celia’s empathy was evident in her facial expression when she studied her friend’s face.

“Yes, it is,” She squeaked out.

“...I feel like you’ve been a really good influence on him since you’ve moved into the valley,” Celia continued on slowly.

Jill was taken by surprise by this comment, causing her to turn her face to meet eyes with the other girl.

“Do you really think that?”

“Mhm,” Celia nodded. 

“Believe it or not, his temper had calmed down. And there have been a few times where he has asked me for advice. He says it’s because he trusts my option because I’m another woman,” She went on.

The tomboy had continued to listen intently to what was being told to her and she believed it. There was no reason for her not to. Celia was an honest woman, she was the type that was incapable of lying. The only time she would be to spare another person’s feelings. That was part of her charm. 

“Yeah? Well, next time tell him to take the advice!” Jill caught herself grinning, letting out a laugh.

Celia couldn’t help but close her eyes and smile at Jill’s ability to joke about things that made her feel uneasy. She tightened her grip on her arm as they walked past the entrance of the beach.

\--

The Seashore shack was the first thing to be noticed when feeling the soft warm sand between your toes. It was a cute little concession seeing stand it had wheels built in the bottom of it. And it was made of wood and painted white with a bar island and stools attached to it. According to conversions that were had with Kai, the owner, and short-order cook. He found it the easiest way to travel and make more money than to stay put in Mineral Town the whole summer. And if the ship was big enough he somehow manages to lug his little shack onto the harbor as an easier way to travel with it. Jill’s mind started to wander as she waited for Celia to slip off her moccasin shoes in order to walk barefoot. Since the poor girl didn’t own any sandals. The brunette was too distracted by the image of the ocean. Remembering that the harbor is how she arrived in the valley, to begin with. And recalling the feeling of anguish on the boat ride here along with the sense of relief when seeing Takaura standing there on the shore awaiting her arrival. Like it was a blessing in disguise. 

Surf rock played loudly from the Seashore Shack from a portable radio located inside. Celia was the one to catch Kai poking his head out from the opening of the shack first before he strolled his way over to the girls. He had a confident swagger to his walk; he knew he was the heart-throb of this region. All the girls around these parts, the valley, and Mineral Town included all talked about how handsome he was. A lot of the girls speculated that he was in the military because of the crew cut hidden under the purple bandanna he always wore. He was also tall with broad shoulders. And his body was certainly fit, probably from dragging that blasted snack shack all over creation. And most importantly, tan. Kai was very tan. The gossip around the two towns was that he was naturally deep complexed as well. One of the girls of Mineral Town had started a rumor that they swore Kai still had his beautiful complexion during the winter. Many have guessed that the most likely suspect was Popuri considering the fact that she’s closest towards him. Jill wasn’t sure which girl exactly but her friend that owned her own farm, Claire had claimed it was true. And well, that was good enough for her.

“Well, well! It looks like the Forget-Me-Not girls are more lovely looking than I remembered!~”

His smile oozed charisma as he stopped in front of the pair. The corner of his eyes creased when he smiled. Kai’s features were definitely distinct. He didn’t look like the typical white-bread American around these parts. He was strangely secretive about his origins. When somebody was bold enough to ask he’d always answered with the same joke:

_“I’m half Scotch and half soda!”_

“Hi Kai,” Celia greeted politely. 

Jill was caught off guard slightly, seeing that she allowed her thoughts to consume her briefly. She blinked and looked straight in the same direction of the heartthrob.

What’s up Kai? Nice tan,” She teased nonchalantly. 

He chuckled at her cheesy joke, placing one hand on his hip. 

“I thought I’d never see you girls here. Every time I pass by Claire’s she’s too busy to bother with me,” Kai stated.

“That’s because it’s been a hard season for us farmers this year because of how harsh winter was,” Jill explained.

Celia quickly perked up to the conversion seeing that growing crops was part of her passion.

“Yes, and we’ve been having a drought as of late. It’s been awful,” She frowned while speaking.

Kai's face was unmoved, keeping that stunning smile of his as his eyes were the focal point to his sincerity. He gazed upon the girls contently as they spoke; letting them know he was invested in what they had to say. A true trait of a successful businessman. 

"I gotta give you ladies credit. You work really hard. Do you think you could keep me in mind next time you have some produce you have lying around?" 

Jill's expression dropped to annoyance when she realized what Kai was getting at. And it explained why Claire was probably keeping her distance from him as well. He wanted their inventory for cheap. He might have been handsome but he wasn't a piece of art either. 

"Oh, gee. I don't know Kai. I'd have to ask Vesta. When we pack produce in the truck for Mineral Town we sometimes have a crate just for ripe vegetables," Celia told him with a hint of concern in her tone. 

She was too courteous. They didn't break their backs in the fields for hand-outs. Before any more could be said Jill suddenly butted in as she took hold of Celia's hand tightly. 

"Yeah, we'll have to give you a rain check on that," Jill said dryly and began tugging her friend along with her.

Just when the tomboy thought the coast was clear of playboy men she was terribly mistaken as Rock was now in sight sitting on a beach blanket closeby the shoreline. He was sitting next to a baby-faced looking young lady. The tomboy already was familiar with the girl. Her name was Lumia and was the granddaughter of Romana. The first person to live in Forget-Me-Not Valley. They were a well off family and lived in a mansion. 

She was a cute looking girl. Even shorter than Celia and appeared more like a schoolgirl than an 18-year-old woman. Her blond short hair made her face look even younger because of her full bangs. She was known around these parts as a child prodigy because she was one hell of a pianist and a painter. The valley tended to be such a dull place most of the time that every resident often visited the manor to watch Lumina practice piano. Even Jill caught herself stopping by to say hello Romana. Who was a sweet insightful woman. But Jill more or less went to go see all the cats that lived in the mansion.

The pompous son of the Inner In seemed to favor the prodigy very much considering that she came from wealth and prestige. Which Jill was the least impressed with. Rock made it clear that he was taking in the figures of the farm girls with that stupid grin of his.

Lumina was the only sensical one of the couple to gesture towards the two friends to join them into the towel. Celia nodded, finally breaking free from Jill and daintily sat down onto her knees and hands folded in her lap. The other farmer had taken her time to settle down next to the modest girl and made unwanted eye-contact with the spoiled brat.

"Wow! First I had the pleasure to see you with your hair down and now I get a little peek of your belly? Lookin' good Jill!" 

If looks could kill Rock would have been five feet under, fitting his name. He was walking on thin ice with the brunette. She kept her eyes narrowed; slipping off her rucksack and sat across from Lumina.

“You to babe!” He directed his attention towards Celia and winked at her.

This made her blush, she was not used to Rock’s mischievous behavior since she kept to herself and her chores. Celia wasn’t the type of girl to spend her time at the bar or be a part of the scene the wannabe dabbled in. He was too much of a slacker.

“Rock, watch your mouth. Have you no shame? Your date is sitting right next to you!” Jill stretched her arm out towards Lumina. She couldn’t believe the nerve he had.

“I’m not his date!” The baby-faced girl finally chimed in with a pout.

“I didn’t really want to come anyway! But my grandmother was out for the day so I decided to skip my piano lesson!” She crossed her arms, fitting the caricature she looked like.

Her immature attitude fits the type that the Rock would attract. It wasn’t clear if Rock was purposely trying to make the young woman feel jealous to stroke his own ego or if he was that fickle to her feelings. Jill believed that Lumina didn’t want to come to the beach. Her suitor did show up at her ranch after all. And the tomboy knew damn well that she wasn’t her first choice. 

There was an awkward silence that settled within the group. Celia was all too used to this kind of thing since Marlin was a pro at making any normal situation into a drag. The modest farm girl had mastered playing mediator when it came to a straining encounter. Still keeping up with her kind persona as she directed her sweet tone towards the privileged pianist.

“So, have you been here long?” She tilted her head, only asking to smooth things over.

In typical spoiled fashion Rock completely talked over Lumina without even realizing it. Which didn’t help the dynamic at all. 

“Not long at all! We were just about to head into the water. Wanna come? We were gonna play chicken!” 

He became a bit louder at the end of his sentence for emphasis and arched his back to lean in closer to Celia. 

“Sure! Swimming sounds like fun. But what’s chicken?” She asked innocently.

Jill rolled her eyes as she boldly leaned in to match Rock’s persistence.

“It’s a game. But you might not want to play with him. Knowing him, Rock will most likely turn it into something naughty,” Jill blurted out brutally.

“Jill! How could you! I only have the highest respect for you ladies!” His mouth was agape as he sat up straight once more.

“Yeah, maybe ‘cause Lumina’s here. I wouldn’t hold my breath,” She scoffed.

The banter only caused the young woman to sulk further as her flustered state worsened as she suddenly snapped up and snatched her beach bag from the sand before starting to strut away.

“I’m leaving!” She announced dramatically. 

This shocked Rock, again. Jill couldn’t tell if it was an act, or if he was generally confused by his stupidity. He frowned deeply as he hopped from the towel as well and began chasing after her.

“Aw! Lumina! Don’t be that way, babe!” 

Celia continued to look on in concern, glancing down at her hands a moment and back at the couple as they were now out of sight.

“Maybe you shouldn’t have said anything,” She said quietly, feeling bad about the dispute.

“No way, I didn’t say anything wrong. If Rock truly likes Lumina he shouldn’t act that way,” Jill said bitterly and perked her head up once she noticed a familiar blond from afar.

It was Muffy sitting at one of the stools at the Shore Shack alone, with a soft drink in her hand. She was surprisingly not in a bathing suit and dressed in a similar dress like the one she typically wears to work. The only difference in appearance was her beautiful curls were pulled up and clipped back.

“Hey, Muffy!” Jill cupped her hands around her mouth and yelled.

The blond bombshell blinked in surprise as she was taking a long slow sip of her tropical drink and raised a free hard in the air to wave.

“Hello there!~” She called back, smiling. 

Jill’s expression had softened now that the slacker had got rid of himself. She looked over at Celia and offered to buy her a drink as an excuse to go pay Muffy a visit. The polite girl declined but thanked her anyway for considering her. Jill nodded as she pulled a change purse out of her rucksack. She playfully tapped the top of her friend’s head before parting ways with her and headed straight towards the Seashore Shack. Celia suddenly grinned and placed a hand where Jill had touched, watching her hurry her steps when getting closer to the barmaid.

“Hey! Do you want to go swimming with me and Celia?” She asked, plopping onto a stool next to her, facing the ocean.

“I’d love to!--” Muffy answered ecstatically.

“But, I can’t stay too long,” Her tone dramatically dropped to disappointment, holding her glass with both hands in her lap.

“It’s because you’re going to work soon?” Jill asked, unsure of the time but she assumed it was late enough for the Blue Bar to be opening.

“Yeah, but I figured I’d come just for a little bit. You know, to catch some sun,” Muffy fibbed as her emerald green eyes glanced to the side when Kai’s tall frame appeared from back inside the shack.

The tomboy had caught on to the glamour girl’s motives fairly quickly as she watched Muffy swirl the stool back to face the short-order cook with a flirtatious wink; setting her glass down and propping her elbow onto the countertop to rest her chin into her palm.

“What can I get you, Jill?” He asked pleasantly.

The farm girl had taken Muffy’s lead and had turned her body to face the inside of the shack as well. Before speaking she opened up her change purse and placed a few coins onto the countertop. 

“Can I just get two bottles of water, please?” She asked.

“Sure thing!” He said, sliding the coins off the counter and into his hand to head in back to the register.

As his back was turned Jill honed in on Muffy’s dreamy look plastered on her face. With no surprise, she was admiring Kai. She played with the tip of her straw that stuck out from the edge of her glass. Jill couldn’t help but be amused by this as she gently wrapped her fingers around the other girl’s slender arm and whispered into her ear.

“You only came here to flirt with Kai!” She teased with a laugh escaping her.

Muffy nudged her away playfully with her nose crinkled at the truth being told.

“Hey! A little flirting never hurt anybody!” She defended herself in a hushed tone before leaning in closer to Jill.

“I have to make an impact! He’ll be leaving soon,” She frowned and quickly sat back up straight when Kai returned to the front.

He gave the girls a questionable look with a raised brow as he set down the two bottles of water in front of Jill. Muffy directed her smile towards the handsome foreigner. 

“I like your bandanna, Kai. It’s a beautiful color on you,” Muffy gave a flamboyant hand gesture towards him, showing off her freshly painted nails.

“Thanks, Muffy! You’re looking pretty hot in that dress, where’s your bikini?” Kai asked teasingly.

A giggle was heard from Muffy as this was Jill’s cue to begin to tune out the conversion. At least Kai would be a good match for the extravagant blond. Though, the heart-throb definitely seemed like the type to enjoy his time with women and leaving Muffy in the same boat that she has been in. The brunette had slipped her change purse into the pocket of her shorts and gathered her water bottles before standing up from the stool. Just when she saw the coast was clear from any more horseplay from Rock he appeared out of the blue. Jill wanted to make herself scarce before the spoiled brat waltzed his way back over to Celia.

“I’ll see you later Muffy--”

“Alright, ladies! Who’s ready to go in the water!~”

The chime was his upbeat tone caused the blond to end her get up from her stool abruptly and turn her attention back towards Jill.

“Okay, bye Jill!” She forced a smile with a head tilt.

Muffy did not want to pay Rock any mind seeing that he was in hot water with Griffin since the irresponsible party boy still hadn’t paid off last month’s tab and was still trying to stretch the one he currently had. When she stood she kept her back towards the annoying dolt. Celia had made her way over to the shack since Jill had taken longer than expected. This struck Muffy a bit odd seeing that Marlin wasn’t with them and couldn’t help but nosy in. 

“Hi, Celia! I like your sundress! Where’d you get it?” 

Jill turned her head and apologized right away to the soft-hearted girl. As she didn’t mean to get this invested into Muffy’s gossip. Celia of course forgave the fellow farmer and took the bottle of water graciously and handed the rucksack over to her friend before directing her eyes over to the barmaid.

“Thank you so much, Muffy! I made it, actually,” She explained with a small smile, happy to see that her hard work was recognized.

“That’s really neat!--Say, where’s Marlin? I think he’d die and go to heaven if he got to see the two girls of his dreams in bathing suits together.”

“O-oh, well, he’s working in the fields,” Celia’s cheeks flushed at the comment.

“In other words, he’s sulking,” Jill laid it on thick, twisting the cap of her water and sipped.

Muffy shrugged at the explanation.

“Typical, men. They are all the same in those regards.”

With that being said both Jill and Muffy gave Rock a judgemental side-eye glare, seeing that he was hanging around the three girls without being invited as Celia was the only one to observe his presence in innocence. 

“Enough talking about that square, man! Why don’t you join us, Muffy. We need one more person to play chicken!”

“Gee, I think I better get going. See you later girls!” 

The blond turned sharply, keeping her distance from Rock and made sure to give Kai a cute little wave to him before sashaying off towards the entrance of the beach. The pompous party boy was Godsmack. A good looking broad like Muffy was just going to ignore him like that? Inconceivable.

“Aw! Come on Muffy! It’ll be fun!” He exclaimed, turning his body to face her as he continued to get the cold shoulder.

“What about Lumina?” Celia suggested, shyly.

“Huh?” Rock blinked and turned back to face them once more.

He rubbed the back of his head in thought.

“After I chased her home she locked herself in her room and told me to bug off,” He explained casually.

Jill listened on in annoyance before adding to the conversion. 

“Seems like an appropriate response,” The snarky remark couldn't be helped slipping out of the brunette’s lips.

It only earned her an unimpressed glimpse from Celia who thought Jill was being too harsh. It will never stop the other woman though. It wouldn’t be helped, Marlin’s sharp tongue was rubbing off on the tomboy.

“Well, it looks like we can’t play chicken then. Since there’s not enough of us,” Jill continued on in relief, tightening the cap to her bottle and setting it into her rucksack.

“Yeah, that’s a bummer, isn’t it?” Rock’s normally cheeky expression disappeared from him as he scratched his chin in thought. 

It was short-lived though, as that nauseating grin stretched his lips again when his eyes caught on the image of Kai preparing side dishes in his kitchen. It was unbeknownst to him what was going on. He was too focused on his work and had drifted away from all the hubbub when Muffy had left the mix. 

“Hey Kai! You wanna play chicken with us!” Rock beamed over at his friend.

Those words uttered out of that lazy oaf made Jill’s head shoot up and clench her teeth together in worry. She began frantically waving her hands when Rock’s eyes were out of contact from her. Trying desperately to give Kai a signal to pass up the offer. 

Kai turned to face the group with a frying pan in his hand as he looked at Jill strangely, not understanding the message at all. It translated in his mind that the tomboy wanted him as her partner which he was flattered by.

“Sure, man! I could use a break!” He gave the wannabe a thumbs up before setting the frying pan down.

Jill flopped her arms down to her sides in defeat and hung her head to squeeze the bridge of her nose. Her dreary demeanor was distressing to Celia as she looked on with a frown.

“We can just go home, if you like,” She quietly suggested and looked up in surprise when Kai suddenly appeared.

“Alright Jill, I’m all yours my dear!” He offered out his hand.

The brunette straightened her posture, narrowing her eyes in suspicion as she took Celia’s water bottle from her when she requested that she put it in her bag for safekeeping. 

“Excuse me?” Jill blurted out. 

“Yeah, what are you doing, Kai? It’s Celia that doesn’t know how to play! Mind helping her out?” Rock suggested.

Kai gawked at Jill in confusion before giving his friend a look and eventually over at Celia.

“Yeah, of course!” He gave an uncertain chuckle.

“Would you like me or Rock as your partner, sweetheart?” Kai asked kindly.

Celia stood there silently not fully understanding the question.

“You mean, I can’t pick Jill?” She asked in curiosity. 

The modest girl’s naive nature caused Rock to let out a laugh, slapping his knee out of amusement.

“Jill? I don’t think so, not with those scrawny arms!” The pompous brat laughed a bit louder at his own dumb humor.

“Choose your words wisely. Or these scrawny arms will throttle you into next week,” She hissed out, setting her rucksack on the stool she was originally sitting on.

Jill was more than fed up with these men making comments about her abilities. It was even worse than what she experienced in the city. Unlike Celia who was born in the countryside; she didn’t think much of it. It’s probably why she tolerated Marlin’s bad behavior. She didn’t know any better yet. Rock, on the other hand, didn’t have a choice or he was going to be the leading example of what it meant to learn respect.

“Don’t take it purposely, Jill. He was just joking. I’ll be your partner if you want,” Kai did his duty as the mediator so nothing escalated.

“No,” Jill scoffed.

There was no way on this Goddess’s green earth that she’d allow that empty-headed chump of the Inner In make her feel inferior. She’d rather die than admit that he was right about not having enough strength to hoist Celia up in the air on her shoulders for a long amount of time. The modest girl probably only weighed as much as a sack of potatoes but the tomboy wasn’t willing to take that chance. Instead, she decided on the next best thing.

“I’ll take Rock as my partner,” She said, not trusting the brat at all with her delicate friend.

Everybody in the group couldn’t help but stare at the farm girl in bewilderment. She had made it quite obvious how she didn’t care for the young man. Rock was more than excited by her request to have him have her partner as he looked almost star-struck by it.

“Aw, babe! I knew you were just playing hard to get!~” He grinned from ear to ear as he stepped his way closer to the girl.

Jill shot him a glare before aggressively grabbing onto his hand and pulling him towards the ocean.

“Shut up!”

The only other reaction was an idiotic laugh as he allowed the tomboy to drag him through the sand. 

Kai watched on, finding their interaction comical as he grabbed hold of his white t-shirt and started pulling it over his head. This immediately made Celia blush; she didn’t even dare watch Marlin undress. And well, Kai’s body frame didn’t even compare to the muscular physique of this heart-throb. She quickly darted her eyes away and stared down at a crab that was scuttling along.

He tossed the shirt aside on the beach towel that was left from earlier and mimicked the same gesture from earlier as he held out his hand again, this time for Celia. Taking the extra effort to bow a bit for a little more razzle-dazzle to it.

“Don’t worry, I won’t let you fall,” His eyes gleamed.

Jill had already taken off her shorts and was thoughtful enough to toss them straight at Rock’s face just as a precaution in case he thought he was sneaky enough to peek. She was standing in the water already, a few inches away from Rock who seemed impressed by his friend’s attempt at being suave.

“Hey Casanova, don’t forget to take that bandana off that big, fat head of yours!” 

Jill wouldn’t help herself. What in the world was this? Celia wasn’t some piece of meat up for grabs. The only plus side to her brutal words was that nobody took it to heart. Rock found it to be funny as he gave another chuckle and Kai just tightened his lips together as he straightened his posture and untied the back of his bandanna.

“Excuse me, Kai, what do you mean fall?” Celia tilted her head and held her hands politely in front of her.

“Oh!”

Kai had almost forgotten that he was the one dedicated to explaining the rules to Celia; taking too much effort into wanting to impress her with his manly charms.

“Chicken is where you hold a person over your shoulders and the goal of the game is to knock the person from the other team into the water. Whoever falls into the water first is the loser, sounds good?” 

Celia still looked a bit hesitant but nodded in agreement. 

“Okay, but could you turn around first?” She asked him sweetly.

“Uh, sure. But why?” He answered, slowly doing as he was told and faced his friends in the ocean.

“Because, w-well. I, uh--” Celia’s face flushed at the thought of pulling her dress up over her head in front of a man she hardly knew.

“Because she said so! That’s why!” Jill barked out and suddenly.

She turned slightly to stare sharply at Rock who didn’t bother making it discreet that he was trying to ogle at whatever was under her sundress as Celia timidly began pulling the fabric above her head.

“She said turn around!” 

Jill was appalled and it only made her anger boil over even more. This was the cherry on top of all the other ignorant things Rock has been doing. His stupidity caused her to punch him hard in the bicep. Making sure it was extra hard after he had the gall to make any type of comment about her capabilities of strength. Kai winced at the punch as it looked like it hurt. The pompous pretty boy must have not seen it coming because he had backed up in the water and tripping over his own two feet and fell in with a splash. 

“It serves you right! Keep your eyes to yourself!” Jill’s temper didn’t cease up.

“I'm not gonna lie, Rock. But, you had that one coming,” Kai said, finally joining them in the water with Celia by his side.

And after all that fuss the swimsuit that was hiding underneath that muted green sundress was just a paisley print one-piece. With the colors red, orange, and yellow all mixed in. It was to be expected. Celia wasn’t a flashy girl. There was no way she was going to be in a two-piece. But it still stood, Jill didn’t regret her harshness towards the dumb blond. Whatever Celia had said should have been respected regardless.

“Whatever! Get ready to lose!” He announced. 

All that hot air in Rock’s head must have been useful since he was able to balance himself back up on his feet quite quickly.

“I don’t think so, my friend!” Kai replied as he bent over for the modest farm girl to climb over his shoulders.

Jill waited for the other girl to be secure before turning back to face Rock who was completely unphased by the tomboy’s aggressive attitude towards her. In essisants, he had explained before that he enjoyed the dutiful farm girl’s temper. He had found it attractive and only played off it when he could.

“Come on you slacker! Pick me up!” She splashed some water at him.

Rock grinned at her as he roughly picked her up. 

“Better be nice to me, or I’ll drop you into the water on purpose~” He teased, securing her on top of his shoulders.

Jill swayed a bit as he slowly moved closer to face in front of Kai. She gripped onto the sides of his head as a poor effort not to fall off right away. Once she was close enough is when the brunette placed her hands gently on Celia’s shoulders.

“Push me as hard as you,” She instructed. 

Celia nodded to this as she watched what Jill had done and placed her hands onto the other’s shoulders as well. 

“And when you do push her make sure you scream chicken!” Kai added on.

“Okay.” She said only to acknowledge.

Soon enough Celia started to fidget back and forth with Jill as she let out a small squeal when she pushed against her harshly. Kai started to wobble as the other girl gave it her best attempt to push Celia back. Eventually, it was becoming very close to one of the girls falling over when both of their bodies were wiggling back and forth with force.

Rock kept a firm grip on Jill as he also began to sway in the motion to their pushing.

“Come on girl! Get her!~” He cheered.

Out of the kindness of her own heart, Jill decided to weaken her struggling and allowed her grip to slip away on purpose as she lost her balance on top of Rock’s shoulders and fell into the water with a yelp. Her partner went tumbling down with her as the mass of their bodies created a large splash in the water, getting the other two contestants wet. Celia paused, blinking in confusion. Not having her victory sink in right away. Once she realized it a broad smile grew across her face.

“Oh! Oh! Chicken!” She yelled out gleefully.

Her cute outburst caused Kai to burst out laughing and cautiously bent down to settle Celia down.

“Nice job!” He complimented and turned back to the other duo.

“You too!--” 

Kai’s face froze with a smile as he witnessed Rock get shoved back into the water after trying to help Jill.

“Watch where you put those hands, bub!” She scolded him and eyes widened when she caught an all too familiar tall and skinny figure standing close by the shoreline.

Celia had noticed him a few seconds before Jill had.

“Hi Marlin,” She greeted him with curiosity plain in her tone.

The tomboy said nothing, just grabbing hands with Celia again and walking out of the water with her. Leaving the bumbling men alone in the ocean. Something was fishy, and it wasn’t from the low tide either. There was an ulterior motive for the reasoning behind why Marlin decided to show up out of the blue like this.

He stood there in his typical hunched over posture with hands tucked in his pockets. His white button-up was a bit off-color from being damp, most likely from all the splashing that was going on.

“I came to pick up Celia,” He stated dryly, giving Jill a dull look.

“Pick up Celia?” Her brows flustered together.

“Why? Nobody asked you.”

The words just poured out of her mouth without thought. It was true though. Who was Marlin having to pick up Celia and take her home like she was a child? The glum farmer made it known that he was resentful of what she said. Like Jill had no business speaking to him in that way. Tough luck.

“It’s okay Marlin! I was planning on walking home with Jill anyway!” Celia piped up to dissolve the tension. 

Which wasn’t made any better when the gruesome twosome that was Kai and Rock came bumbling by from behind them.

“Marlin! My man! What’s up cat? You gonna join us?” He rested his arms on both Celia and Jill’s shoulders.

The older man’s gaunt face stretched out more from the absurdity of the situation as he began glaring down the pitiful wannabe.

“Fat chance,” He scoffed out.

Kai appeared right behind Rock, towering over him ever so slightly.

“Jill, next time I call you as my partner! I got you covered with these guns!” He chuckled as he flexed his beefy arms.

Seeing that Marlin’s intense stare was boring holes into the insufferable men displayed in front of him, Celia decided to take the lead and slip her hand away from Jill’s grasp and turn to face everybody. 

“Thank you, guys! I really had a good time!” She smiled warmly at them.

In the meantime, Marlin took it upon himself to pick up the discarded dress and handed it over to Celia. He had already known it was hers; he has seen her wearing it many times before. And he was strangely polite enough to pick up the pair of jean shorts for Jill as well. Quickly pulling his hand away before she could thank him for it.

“Alright, let’s go,” He said, walking ahead of Celia out of awkwardness.

Jill felt out of place, not really knowing where she stands at this very moment. She couldn’t always read Marlin and it was frustrating, to say the least. She was at a standstill as she watched the more modest girl pull back over her dress over her swimsuit. 

“Bye guys,” She decided to follow behind Marlin and Celia.

The old bastard had overheard her say her farewells and looked over his shoulder as he continued his slow pace next to his former love interest. 

“Where are you goin’? Wouldn’t you rather stay here with them?” Marlin’s tone was colder than ice.

He was referring to Rock and Kai who had already bowed out from the group once the short-order cook had to head back to the Shoreline shack. The dumb blond had of course tagged alongside the heart-throb after he offered to teach him how to make clam chowder. Rock had only agreed to learn to help make it if he didn’t have to pay to eat a bowl of it afterward. 

It must have made Jill’s heart stop for a split second as she felt a pit in the bottom of her stomach. What in the world was his problem all of a sudden?

“And, uh, what’s that supposed to mean?” She answered back, just as cold.

Marlin shrugged lazily.

“Nothing, just glad you had a good time is all,” He had mastered the art of sarcasm for sure.

The tomboy stood there frozen, not only feeling rejected but completely confused about what she could have possibly done wrong. Celia must have felt the same as she couldn’t help but look back over at Jill in concern and then back at Marlin. She was seen leaning in close to the grouch and said something to him that was incoherent now that they were too far away.

Jill had decided to head home as well after slipping her shorts back on retrieving her rucksack from the shack. Kai was kind enough to offer to walk her home, feeling sympathy for the farmer girl after noticing her saddened disposition. He couldn't help but overhear the conversation that went on earlier. Despite Jill feeling a tinge of appreciation towards this she politely declined. The only guy that she wanted walking her home had already left.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I actually really like Kai. But not as a love interest. My headcanon for him is that he comes from some kind of ethnic culture. Everybody in Harvest Moon seems to be white. Like, I'm probably wrong because it's anime style. However, I'm mainly going by the names. It gives the vibe that it's old white America. I'd like to think Kai is Hawaiian or perhaps some kind of Latino. Where he's already naturally tan and he becomes even darker in the sun. It can also explain why he prefers hotter climates. :)
> 
> I purposely make Jill a rougher character (Hence the tomboy explanation) Because Claire, her counterpart always came across to me as the more pretty, girly, and likable farmer. While Jill is the one who is in grubby t-shirts and boots that make her feet look ten times bigger than they actually are. I also favor this kind of character arch for female leads anyway.
> 
> I have no idea if the game chicken was an actual thing in this decade but, like, it was already written and also the main focus of the scene so I kept it. xD


End file.
